One person died and 21 were injured when gunfire erupted during a rally after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade in Kansas City, Missouri, Wednesday afternoon.
Many of those injured were children, The Washington Post reported.
The incident happened about 2 p.m. local time near Union Station and resulted in the emergency evacuations of local political leaders gathered for the parade and rally, including the governors of Missouri and Kansas and the mayor of Kansas City.
“Parades, rallies, schools, movies,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas (D) said. “It seems like almost nothing is safe.”
This latest tragedy occurred in a week when other gun massacres took place.
Six years ago Wednesday, 17 were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.; a year ago Tuesday, three students were killed at Michigan State University, the Post reported.
“It’s absurd that we cannot celebrate our city’s victory without fearing for our lives at the same time,” Tara Bennett, a volunteer with the Kansas City chapter of Moms Demand Action who was at the parade, said in a statement.
Many players went to X, formerly Twitter, and other outlets regarding the incident:
As of late Wednesday, Kansas City police had taken three people into custody and recovered multiple firearms. However, the suspects’ identities have not been released.
Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a radio DJ and host of “Taste of Tejano” on Kansas City radio station KKFI, was killed in the shooting, according to Tommy Andrade, a family friend and co-host of the show. The station put out a statement calling her death a “senseless act.”
At a news conference, Police Chief Stacey Graves said officials were still looking for a possible motive.
“There’s a lot of work ahead,” she said. “This is just the beginning stages. All of that is being actively investigated.”
Many praised the police response and the security in place. The hundreds of officers on the scene already when the shots rang out.
Graves and other city leaders praised the parade’s security, “acted fast and prevented further bloodshed,” Graves said.
The shooting occurred, despite the heavy police presence, because of “bad actors,” Graves added.
The first shots were heard shortly after the players and coaches delivered remarks at the rally outside the train station. Videos posted on social media the showed spectators fleeing from the area.
The day earmarked for revelry and celebration spun into bloodshed.
Kansas City interim fire chief Ross Grundyson said of the 21 injured victims, eight had “immediately life-threatening” injuries and seven had “life-threatening injuries.” Six others were considered to have “minor” injuries. A spokesperson for Kansas City’s Children’s Mercy hospital confirmed to The Post that the facility was treating 12 patients from the shooting, 11 of whom were children.
President Joe Biden called the Super Bowl “the most unifying event in America” and said the shooting should spur fast action on gun control measures.
“For this joy to be turned to tragedy today in Kansas City cuts deep in the American soul,” he said in a statement. “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?”
In a statement, the Chiefs, who defeated the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, said all of the team’s players, coaches, staff and their families were safe.
“When are we going to fix these gun laws?” Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu wrote on social media. “How many more people have to die to say enough is enough?”