SHOOTING AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS SUPER BOWL PARADE KILLS ONE, INJURES 22 OTHERS, INCLUDING NINE CHILDREN
The Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebrations on Wednesday turned into one of the more tragic events in American sports history as multiple gunmen opened fire at the end of the Chiefs’ victory parade, which was estimated to have been attended by at least 800,000 people.
The Kansas City Police Department confirmed earlier that at least 8-10 people were shot at the parade, with many of the victims being children who were subsequently being treated at Children’s Mercy Hospital. ABC reported later on, however, that one person, a woman, had been pronounced dead after the chaos at Union Station and at least 22 others, including nine children between the ages of 6 and 15, had been injured by the gunfire at the parade.
According to Kansas City Police, the shooting took place west of Union Station, outside, near the garage as some of the Chiefs fans were leaving. One attendee of the parade said some of the Chiefs went into Union Station when the rally ended and fans followed the players to get autographs.
“Then all of a sudden they all started running out, and you see all these policemen come running in there – and you knew something happened in the station,” one witness told Kansas City local TV, KMBC.
KCPD quickly ascended onto the stage where some of the Chiefs players, coaches and staff were still celebrating and quietly asked them off the stage as fear and news of the incident began to spread. Fans were then seen running away from the stage and moving towards another exit via Union Station as emergency response units began to flood the area to tend to casualties.
With most people evacuated, police then secured the area as snipers could be seen on the roof of one of the buildings in the area. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves confirmed in a media briefing later in the afternoon that three suspects had been detained and at least one firearm recovered. She, however, said that the motive behind the incident still remained unclear.
Kansas City Police also confirmed that all Chiefs players, coaches and staff were accounted for and safe after the horrific event.
The Chiefs released a statement hours after their victory parade was cut short, saying: “We are truly saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred outside of Union Station at the conclusion of today’s parade and rally. Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and all of Kansas City.”
“We are in close communication with the Mayor’s office as well as the Kansas City Police Department. At this time, we have confirmed that all of our players, coaches, staff and their families are safe and accounted for. We thank the local law enforcement officers and first responders who on-scene to assist.”
The league then followed the Chiefs’ statement with a short three-sentence release that read: “We are deeply saddened by the senseless shooting that occurred today near the end of the rally in Kansas City for the Chiefs. Our thoughts are with the victims and everyone affected. We are grateful for the quick and thorough response of law enforcement and emergency personnel.”
Multiple reports from Kansas City confirmed that the team left Union Station in buses and in shock, with some of the players playing an unbelievably key role in calming frightened fans down. Quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert and Chris Oladokun, C Austin Reiter, and G Trey Smith were instrumental in calming down kids who were in a state of panic in the middle of the situation. Trey Smith, in particular, approached an upset child, gave him the WWE title belt that he had and sat with him.
Smith wrote on X later in the day: “My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by today’s incidents. A huge thank you to the first responders who ran towards the sound of danger. You’re the ones who should be celebrated today.”
In a statement released by The White House, president Joe Biden said: “The Super Bowl is the most unifying event in America. For this joy to be turned into tragedy today in Kansas City cuts deep in the American soul.”
“Today’s events should move us, shock us, shame us into acting. What are we waiting for? What else do we need to see? How many more families need to be torn apart? We’re a country where people should have the right to go to school, to go to church, to walk the street – and to attend a Super Bowl celebration – without fear of losing your life to gun violence.”
The shooting has reignited the long-running debate on gun reform and had most of the country’s leaders chiming in on Wednesday. Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords commented on the events in Kansas City by saying: “In Kansas City today, a celebration has turned into a nightmare – again. Americans should not have to live in constant fear of gun violence: not [at] a Super Bowl victory parade, or anywhere else.”
“As we mark six years since the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, another community has to face that trauma. My heart goes out to Kansas City, We’re with you, and we will never stop fighting to end gun violence.”
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Stephen Edmonds. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.