At least one person has been killed in a shooting in Kansas City, Missouri, during the National Football League’s (NFL) Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs’ victory celebrations.
Here is what we know about it:
Where did the shooting happen?
- The shooting occurred in front of the Union Station in Downtown Kansas city, Missouri, according to officials. According to the FBI, the shooting occurred west of the stage during the Super Bowl celebration.
What other details do we know about the shooting?
- One person was killed and 21 others wounded.
- The shots erupted at about 2pm local time (20:00GMT) on Wednesday, according to the FBI, sending thousands of red-clad fans scrambling for safety.
- Fans were excited to mark the second consecutive Super Bowl victory. According to a report by CNN, an estimated one million people were in downtown Kansas City for the victory parade.
- Children were also taking part in large numbers after school districts cancelled classes. Players were still on the stage of the Chiefs’ victory rally when the shooting took place.
- John O’Connor, a Chiefs fan, said in a video interview posted by the Kansas City Star that he heard 15 to 20 shots in quick succession, recounting, “It sounded like fireworks at first.”
Who was behind it?
- Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) chief Stacey Graves told a news conference that three people were detained who were “under investigation” in connection with the bloodshed.
- Graves said firearms were recovered. “We have recovered firearms. I don’t have a number for you or a calibre,” she said.
- The FBI and the KCPD were requesting videos of the incident and any video of the assailants attempting to flee the scene.
- Paul Contreras, a Chiefs fan, was at the event when he saw someone moving “in the opposite direction” and heard someone yell to stop him, according to the Kansas City Star news website.
- Contreras said he hit the person from behind and tackled him, knocking a gun to the ground in the process. Two other attendees then stepped in to help hold the person down.
- According to US media, more than 800 law enforcement officers were in the area for the event when the shooting happened.
Who were the victims?
- At least 22 people suffered gunshot injuries, one of them fatally, authorities said. Local radio station KKFI identified the slain victim as Lisa Lopez, one of its disc jockeys and host of the show Taste of Tejano.
- “It is with sincere sadness and an extremely heavy and broken heart that we let our community know that KKFI DJ Lisa Lopez, host of Taste of Tejano lost her life,” the station said on Facebook.
- Of the 21 people wounded in the attack, 15 had life-threatening injuries and six had minor injuries. Eleven of those hurt by gunfire or the ensuing chaos were children and teens aged between six and 15.
- Authorities are still working to determine the total number of victims, KCPD chief Graves said.
I have known Lisa and her family for over a decade. I have witnessed that smile across DJ equipment, and on the stage of our largest Fiesta in #KansasCity
I will not let her death go in vein. I will legislate, I will fight and I WILL do everything in my power to change this… https://t.co/e7yiyjvNj4
— Manny Abarca (@MannyAbarcaIV) February 15, 2024
What do we know about Missouri gun laws?
- Missouri is known for having weak gun laws. It is ranked 38th in the country by Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that focuses on gun violence prevention.
- According to the National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), gun owners in the state are not required to obtain a permit to buy rifles, shotguns, or handguns, or they do not have to register their firearms or be licensed to own them, and do not need a permit to carry them.
- In 2020, Kansas City was among nine cities targeted by the United States Department of Justice to control violent crime. In 2023, the city matched a record with 182 homicides, most of which involved guns.
- Wednesday’s attack coincided with the sixth anniversary of one of the most notorious mass shootings in recent US history, when 17 people were killed and as many were injured at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Missouri has some of the weakest gun laws in the country and among the highest gun death rates. What’s worse: Gun lobby allies in the state legislature are actively working to pass legislation that would force more guns into more sensitive places, like places of worship and… https://t.co/sa8uRwrTV7
— Moms Demand Action (@MomsDemand) February 14, 2024
What were the reactions to the shooting?
- President Joe Biden called on Congress and the country to act.
- “It is time to act. That’s where I stand. And I ask the country to stand with me. To make your voice heard in Congress so we finally act to ban assault weapons, to limit high-capacity magazines, strengthen background checks, keep guns out of the hands of those who have no business owning them or handling them,” he said.
Kansas City.
Atlanta.
D.C.Today, six years since Parkland, acts of gun violence cut deep in the American soul.
Jill and I pray for those killed and injured today, and for our country to find the resolve to end the senseless epidemic of gun violence tearing us at the seams. pic.twitter.com/sqr5ww1G5O
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 15, 2024
- Missouri’s Republican Governor Mike Parson and his wife, Teresa Parson, were at the parade during the incident. “Thanks to the professionalism of our security officers and first responders, Teresa and I and our staff are safe and secure,” Parson said in a statement.
- The Kansas City Chiefs called the shooting a “senseless act of violence” and said “our hearts go out to the victims, their families and all of Kansas City”.
- Vice President Kamala Harris also called on Congress members to pass “reasonable gun safety laws”.
- The NFL issued a statement, saying, “Our thoughts are with the victims and everyone affected.”
— NFL (@NFL) February 14, 2024
- “Today should’ve been a joyous day for Kansas City – gun violence stole that. My heart is with those injured, their families & all in attendance. Missouri has some of the weakest gun safety laws in the US – pushed for by the NRA-funded GOP. Their greed is harming our communities,” Republican Congresswoman Cori Bush said.
- Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas lamented that the city’s law enforcement agencies were unable to prevent the incident despite the presence of more than 800 officers, including federal agents.
- “Parades, rallies, schools, movies – it seems like almost nothing is safe,” Quinton, a Democrat, told reporters, recounting how he was among those who ran for cover at the sound of gunfire.
