At least one person was killed, and 21 others were injured in a shooting in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday afternoon near the finish line of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade, according to local officials. The Kansas City Police Department reported that shots were fired from a garage just west of Union Station, the site of the parade’s finish line, just after 2 p.m. local time, prompting officials to urge people to leave the area. Three individuals are currently detained and under investigation in connection to the incident, according to officials at a press conference on Wednesday. In total, 22 people, including one fatality, suffered gunshot wounds during the attack. Eight victims sustained life-threatening injuries, seven had injuries considered immediately life-threatening, and the remaining six suffered minor injuries, said Kansas City Police Chief Stacy Graves at a press conference on Wednesday.
When asked about the heavy law enforcement presence around the site of the parade, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas expressed surprise at the incident, noting, “We had over 800 officers there, staff situated all around Union Station today, we had security and in any number of places, eyes on top of buildings and beyond. And there still is a risk to people.” Authorities have not disclosed any details about the suspects or a motive for the attack. Videos posted online of the tail end of the parade showed a mass of fans fleeing the station along a closed-down street while police entered the front of the station. Graves mentioned that police at the scene, potentially assisted by parade attendees, tracked down one of the suspects on foot before officers apprehended both suspects and took them into custody.
The shooting in Kansas City occurred exactly six years after the tragic incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where a former Army Junior ROTC cadet opened fire, resulting in 17 student and faculty deaths. Following a year of record mass shooting deaths, mass shootings this year have decreased to a three-year low, with 47 incidents resulting in 77 deaths and 152 injuries as of Wednesday. This is the fewest number of mass shootings since 2020, albeit remaining higher than pre-pandemic levels. However, the city of Kansas City saw a record number of shootings in 2023, recording 182 murders reported by the police, surpassing the previous record of 179 in 2020.
Kansas City Chief’s Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who attended the victory parade and won his second consecutive Super Bowl MVP, tweeted, “Praying for Kansas City.” The Chiefs also released a statement expressing their sadness about the violence and confirming the safety of their roster and staff.