One person has been killed and 21 others were injured, including eight children, after a shooting at the end of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade.
The team and their supporters had been celebrating the win against the San Francisco 49ers following Sunday’s American football showpiece event in Las Vegas.
The barrage of gunfire outside a nearby former train station in Kansas City, Missouri, sent crowds of fans running for safety.
Police said all the victims were hit by gunshots, including seven who were seriously injured and six who were described as “moderately” wounded. They were being treated in three different hospitals.
Police said three people, including at least two who were armed, were taken into custody after the incident and firearms have been recovered.
Video footage showed a chaotic scene outside Union Station – now a museum – as officers stormed the building while Chiefs fans ran for cover.
Police said they believed the incident was criminal and not terror-related, but the motive is not known.
Stacey Graves, a police chief, said she had heard reports that Chiefs fans were involved in the apprehension of the suspects but she could not confirm that.
She said she was “angry” at what had happened, as more than 800 officers were on duty to “keep everyone safe” but the tragedy occurred even with them there.
Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas told reporters he had attended the parade with his wife and mother and had to “run for safety” along with thousands of fans.
“I’m heartbroken and I’m incredibly upset and disappointed,” he told a news conference.
“I was there with my wife and my mother, I never would have thought thousands of people would be forced to run for their safety today.
“We went out today looking for a celebration and that was marred. We are praying for the safety of everyone.”
Mr Lucas confirmed that all the Chiefs players, staff and coaches were accounted for after the incident.
“This is absolutely a tragedy the likes of which we never expected in Kansas City,” he added.
The Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes wrote on X: “Praying for Kansas City,” shortly after the incident, while Drue Tranquill, a Chiefs linebacker, asked people to join him in prayer for the victims over “this heinous act”.
In a statement also on X, the Chiefs said they were “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.”
The Chiefs won Sunday’s dramatic game 25-22 in overtime.
Crowds had lined the streets to welcome the team back after their second successive Super Bowl title and their third in five seasons.
Players celebrated on the top of double-decker buses where canon fired confetti as the vehicles made their way through the crowd, and club owner Clark Hunt held up the trophy.
The team then took to the stage to address the crowds, including Taylor Swift‘s boyfriend Travis Kelce, who was held up by teammates as he sang to fans.
Love Story singer Swift was absent from the event as she has the first of three scheduled concerts in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday, as part of her Eras Tour.
Source: 
news.sky.com
Be the first to comment