One person was killed and more than 20 were injured when shots were fired after a Wednesday rally celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory.
While details of what exactly unfolded before the gunfire erupted are still coming to light, here is what NBC News has learned so far about the shooting that turned the celebration into chaos.
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When did the shooting take place?
Thousands of jubilant fans flocked to downtown Kansas City, Missouri, bedecked in the team’s colors of red, white and gold, to celebrate the team’s Super Bowl victory Wednesday afternoon.More than 800 law enforcement officers were stationed in and around the rally for safety, authorities said.
The shooting was reported at the conclusion of the rally, around 1:50 p.m., Kansas City police Chief Stacey Graves said Thursday.
Shortly after 2 p.m., the police department posted on social media that shots were fired west of Union Station.
Initially, police said that two armed suspects were detained and that there were multiple victims.In an update, Graves said that three people were detained and under investigation— but did not call them suspects.
On Thursday, Graves said two of the detained suspects were juveniles, and a KCPD spokesperson said that the third was released after it was determined they were not connected to the shooting.
Later Wednesday evening, Graves said one person died and more than 20 suffered gunshot wounds.
Graves said in an update Thursday that the death toll remained at one and that 22 others were wounded.
“At least half our victims are under the age of 16,” she said, adding the oldest victim is 47.
Have any victims been identified?
The person who was fatally shot Wednesday was identified by her family as 43-year-old Lisa Lopez-Galvan.
She co-hosted a weekly radio show on local station KKFI 90.1 called “A Taste of Tejano,” a celebration of Tejano or Tex-Mex music, which has origins in Texas and Mexico. She also played at local weddings and promoted charity fundraisers.
The Kansas City Starreportedthat she was a mother of two.
Read the full story here.
What we know about the wounded
Victims injuredduringthe shooting andthe chaotic aftermathwere taken to multiple hospitals.
Saint Luke’s Hospital treated five patients. One gunshot wound patient was in critical condition as of 10 a.m. Thursday. The hospital also treated four walk-in patients with minor injuries from fleeing the scene and they were all released.
University Health hospital treated a total of 12 people: eight gunshot victims from the Union Station shooting, and four others who were injured, but not shot.
Two of the gunshot victims remain in critical condition, and one is stable as of Thursday morning. The five other gunshot victims have been discharged. Three of the non-gunshot patients have been discharged.
Children’s Mercy Hospital treated 12 patients. Eleven of those patients are children ages 6 to 15.Nine of those patients had gunshot wounds and all are expected to recover, the hospital said.
Three of those victims are patients admitted to the hospital and all others have been released, a hospital spokesperson said Thursday.
Who was behind the shooting?
The shooting “appeared to be a dispute between several people” that escalated with gunfire, and there’s “no nexus to terrorism,” Graves said Thursday.
Police said initially Wednesday that three people are being held in connection with the shooting, but they have not been called suspects. They have not been identified.
Two of the subjects detained are juveniles, Graves said Thursday, noting that “several firearms” have been recovered.
The third detained subject was released Thursday after it was determined they were not involved, a KCPD spokesperson said.
The circ*mstances of the shooting remain unclear and no one has been charged yet.
What have the Chiefs said?
The Chiefs said in a statement: “We are 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 said the team’s players, coaches, staff and their families were safe and accounted for.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tweeted: “Praying for Kansas City.”
In a post on X, safety Justin Reid said: “This 🤬 is SAD man! Kids are being shot and somebody didn’t come home tonight. We cannot allow this to be normal.”
Tight end Travis Kelce said he was “heartbroken.”
What are national and community leaders saying?
President Joe Biden said Wednesday’s shooting “cuts deep in the American soul” and should spur voters to call on Congress to take action on gun measures.
“Today’s events should move us, shock us, shame us into acting,” he said in a lengthy statement. “We know what we have to do, we just need the courage to do it.”
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said the celebration meant to bring the city together was “marred by this shooting.”
“When the shooting started. I like many others ran and ran for safety. I saw a number of agencies including the Kansas City Police Department, officers with guns drawn who are running towards danger. We thank them for that,” he said.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said that he and his wife were in attendance at the rally when shots were fired, but they were safe and secure in the aftermath.“Our hearts go out to the victims,” he said.
What do gun laws look like in Missouri?
Missouri has among the most liberal gun laws in the country — with no universal background check for firearm purchases. Open carry is allowed as long as the firearm is not displayed in an angry or threatening manner.
Missouri has no extreme risk laws or safe storage laws, no ban on assault weapons andno restrictions on gun purchases by people with assault or other violent misdemeanor convictions, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.
However, Kansas City requires a state permit to open carry within city limits.
In 2021, Parson signed a bill called the Second Amendment Preservation Act that prohibited local law enforcement from enforcing federal gun laws. Under the law, law enforcement agencies risked being sued by private citizens if they believed their Second Amendment rights had been violated.
The Justice Department filed a lawsuitagainst the state in February 2022 to prevent the enforcement of that bill. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the law “impedes criminal law enforcement operations in Missouri.”
A federal judge later struck down the law, ruling it unconstitutional as federal guns laws trump state law. That decision wasupheld by the Supreme Courtlast year.
Marlene Lenthang
Breaking News Reporter
