Eight children were among 22 people hit by gunfire in a shooting at the end of Wednesday's parade to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl win, authorities said. One person was killed, identified by her radio station as a DJ.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves detailed the shooting's toll at a news conference and said three people had been taken into custody.
"I'm angry at what happened today. The people who came to this celebration should expect a safe environment," Graves said. Police did not immediately release details about the people taken into custody or about a possible motive for the shootings. She said firearms had been recovered, but not what kind of weapons were used.
"There's a lot of work ahead. This is just the beginning stages," she said. "All of that is being actively investigated."
It was the latest sports celebration in the U.S. to be marred by gun violence. A shooting injured several people last year in downtown Denver after the Nuggets' NBA championship, and gunfire erupted last year at a parking lot near the Texas Rangers' World Series championship parade.
Radio station KKFI said in a Facebook post Wednesday evening that DJ Lisa Lopez, host of "Taste of Tejano," was killed in the shooting.
"This senseless act has taken a beautiful person from her family and this KC community," KKFI said in a statement.
The shooting outside Union Station happened despite more than 800 police officers who were in the building and around the area, including on top of nearby buildings, said Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended with his wife and mother and had to run for cover when gunfire broke out.
"I think that's something that all of us who are parents, who are just regular people living each day, have to decide what we wish to do about," Lucas said. "Parades, rallies, schools, movies. It seems like almost nothing is safe."
Kansas City has long struggled with gun violence, and in 2020 it was among nine cities targeted by the U.S. Justice Department in an effort to crack down on violent crime. In 2023 the city matched a record with 182 homicides, most of which involved guns.
Lucas has joined with mayors across the country in calling for new laws to reduce gun violence, including mandating universal background checks.
Lisa Money, a resident of the city, was trying to gather some confetti near the end of the parade when she heard somebody yell, "Down, down, everybody down!"
At first Money thought somebody might be joking. Then she saw a SWAT team jumping over a nearby fence.
"I can't believe it really happened. Who in their right mind would do something like this? This is supposed to be a day of celebration for everybody in the city and the surrounding area," she said.
Kevin Sanders, 53, of Lenexa, Kansas, said he heard what sounded like firecrackers and then people started running. After that initial flurry, calm returned, and he didn't think much of it. But 10 minutes later, ambulances started showing up.
University Health spokeswoman Nancy Lewis said the hospital was treating eight gunshot victims. Two were in critical condition and six were in stable condition, she said. The hospital also was treating four people for other injuries resulting from the chaos after the shooting, Lewis said.
Lisa Augustine, spokesperson for Children's Mercy Kansas City, said the hospital was treating 12 patients from the rally, including 11 children, some of whom suffered gunshot wounds.
St. Luke's Hospital of Kansas City received one gunshot patient in critical condition and three walk-ins with injuries that were not life-threatening, spokesperson Laurel Gifford said.
Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder said that he was with coach Andy Reid and other coaches and staff members at the time of the shooting, and that the team was on buses and returning to Arrowhead Stadium.
"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," the team said in a statement.
Missouri's Republican Governor Mike Parson and first lady Teresa Parson were at the parade during the gunfire but were unhurt.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting and will continue to receive updates, a White House spokesperson said. White House officials were in touch with state and local leaders, and federal law enforcement was on the scene supporting local counterparts.
