© Reuters. Feb 14, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; General view of fans before the parade celebration of the Kansas City Chiefs winning Super Bowl LVIII. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
By Steve Gorman
(Reuters) -A blast of gunfire killed at least one person and wounded 21 others in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, where the NFL champion Chiefs were celebrating their Super Bowl victory, sending crowds of fans scurrying for safety.
Police Chief Stacey Graves told a press conference three people were detained “and under investigation for today’s incident” outside the city’s landmark Union Station.
Graves said investigators had no known motive for the gun violence.
At least 22 people were struck by gunfire, one of them fatally, Fire Department Chief Ross Grundyson said at a late-afternoon news conference.
He said 15 of those wounded suffered life-threatening injuries.
Graves said she was aware of reports that some fans may have participated in the pursuit and capture of at least one of the suspects, and investigators were reviewing video of the incident.
Some 800 law enforcement officers were at the rally and parade that preceded it, including agents of the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
All of the Chiefs players, coaches and staff who attended the victory rally were accounted for and safe, the National Football League team said in a statement.
Hours after the bloodshed, authorities were still sorting out the precise number and details of casualties.
Children’s Mercy Kansas City treated a dozen patients from the rally, 11 of them juveniles, with nine victims suffering gunshot wounds, a hospital spokesperson said. Graves said during the news conference that no children were wounded.
At least five people injured in the shooting were taken to University Health hospital, according to a spokesperson there.
The barrage of gunshots, fired outside near a garage near the station, came at the end of the victory rally following a parade, according to police.
Video posted on social media showed pandemonium outside the station with dozens of uniformed police officers, weapons drawn, running into the building as scores of bystanders fled in the opposite direction.
Rapid-fire gunfire was audible in footage posted online by ABC News.
Union Station, a 109-year-old Beaux Arts building that once served as a major U.S. rail hub for passenger and freight traffic, is home to a museum and visiting attractions today and a terminal for Amtrak passenger service.
Its website describes its vision to “be Kansas City’s iconic symbol of inclusion, inspiration, lifelong learning, and its center for civic celebration.”
The Super Bowl celebration featured Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on stage with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other teammates, but Kelce’s pop superstar girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was back on tour in Australia at the time.
Mahomes said on X: “Praying for Kansas City,” followed by several praying-hands emojis.
Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill, who was at the parade, asked on social media for prayers: “Pray that doctors & first responders would have steady hands & that all would experience full healing.”
A statement from the NFL said: “We are deeply saddened by the senseless shooting that occurred in Kansas City today following the Chiefs’ celebration. Our thoughts are with the victims and everyone affected.”
Missouri Governor Mike Parson and his wife were in attendance when shots were fired near the train station, but were safe and secure following the incident, he said in a message posted to X, thanking law enforcement for its response.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly was also present at the rally when the shots were fired.
The Chiefs on Sunday defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime to win the Super Bowl, 25-22.
On June 17, 1933, Union Station was the site of an outdoor shootout and murder of four law enforcement officers and a criminal fugitive in a notorious incident known as the Kansas City Massacre.
Wednesday’s violence took place on the sixth anniversary of one of the most famous mass shootings in recent U.S. history, when 17 people were killed and 17 more were injured at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The shooter in that incident, a former student who was 19 at the time, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.
