There were shots fired after the Kanas City Chiefs Super Bowl winning parade. Several people are said to be injured – there have been arrests.
The parade by the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs was marred by gunfire. “Shots were fired west of Union Station near the parking garage and several people were hit,” the Kansas City police wrote shortly after 2 p.m. (local time) on X: “We have taken two armed individuals into custody for further investigation. “
A spokesman for the Kansas City Fire Department told multiple media outlets that one person died as a result of the shooting. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves also said ten to 15 people were injured. A fire department representative told Reuters news agency that three injured people were in critical condition.
Police asked “all persons in the area” to leave the area “as quickly and safely as possible to facilitate treatment of the shooting victims.” Accordingly, “several people were hit”.
Eyewitness: “I heard 15 to 20 shots”
An eyewitness, speaking to a Kansas City Star reporter, said he heard about 15 to 20 shots fired in rapid succession on the left side of the stage. The eyewitness said that at first he thought the shots were fireworks explosions, but many people then ran to safety. Only then did he realize that there had been a shooting.
A Twitter video shows dramatic scenes of parade attendees working together to wrestle down a person until two police officers rush to their aid. A video shows dozens of security officers rushing into the Union Station building.
Fire department: Eight to ten injured
TV images showed how the event site was evacuated. It was unclear whether the crime was connected to the victory parade. Around a million people were expected at the victory parade in Kansas City. Around 600 security guards protected the parade.
In addition to local politicians and thousands of fans, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce took part in the parade, according to video footage from the NFL. According to the mayor’s office, all of the team’s players, coaches and staff were safe. Kelce’s girlfriend, musician Taylor Swift, was back on tour in Australia at the time of the incident.
The incident occurred near the end of the parade during which the Chiefs celebrated their new Super Bowl victory. Three days after the dramatic victory against the San Francisco 49ers (25:22 nV), the team around star quarterback Patrick Mahomes drove three kilometers through the city on open buses and proudly presented the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the tens of thousands of fans on the side of the road.