One killed, 21 people hurt in shooting near Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally
Kansas City Star staff reports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Twenty-two people were shot, including one killed, Wednesday at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory rally at Union Station, according to police.
The gunfire, which broke out near the end of the citywide celebration amid thousands of fans and onlookers, sent nine children to the hospital with bullet wounds and broke up the event in chaos. The number of known casualties continued to increase throughout the day as people arrived at hospitals, with the latest figures given later Wednesday by Kansas City police Chief Stacy Graves in a news conference at police headquarters.
Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a Johnson County mother of two and beloved disc jockey in Kansas City, died from her injuries in the shooting, friends confirmed to the Kansas City Star after talking to the family.
Lopez-Galvan is reported to have died during surgery from a gunshot wound to her abdomen. Police have not confirmed that she was killed in the shooting.
Eight of the victims who were shot had “immediately life-threatening injuries,” according to Kansas City Fire Department interim Chief Ross Grundyson. They were transported within 10 minutes to area hospitals. Another seven suffered life-threatening injuries and six more had minor injuries.
Graves said three people had been detained and that police are still investigating the motive.
Speaking during an earlier news conference outside police headquarters as sirens wailed in the background, Graves said she was angered by a brazen act of violence at an event celebrated by so many in the city.
She and Mayor Quinton Lucas commended the work of police officers, firefighters and paramedics who worked to save lives Wednesday.
Lucas said he was visiting the rally with his wife and mother when gunfire rang out and they ran to safety. He also expressed frustration with the violent end to what should have been a day of celebration for Kansas Citians.
The shots were fired about 2 p.m. on the west side of Union Station near the garage as the rally was concluding, causing the crowd to duck for cover and scatter.
“Today was tragic for everyone who was part of it,” Lucas said.
“I had the chance to talk to my wife just a moment ago who said we became part of a statistic of too many Americans – those who have experienced or been part of or connected to a mass shooting. That is something that I hope we all recognize is highly problematic.”
More than 800 law enforcement officers were at the parade and rally as the mass shooting unfolded.
“We need people to exit the area as quickly and safely as possible and avoid the parking garage in order to facilitate treatment of shooting victims,” Capt. Jake Becchina, a Kansas City police spokesman, said at the time of the shooting.
Kansas City Police Department said on X after shots broke out: “Shots have been fired around Union Station. Please leave the area.”
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly was among those evacuated from the rally site, later posting on X that she was out of harm’s way and encouraged everyone to follow instructions and updates from the police.
Gunshot victims, many of whom were children, were sent to three hospitals: Children’s Mercy, University Health and Saint Luke’s.
Children’s Mercy was treating 12 patients from the rally, 11 were children with nine of them having gunshot wounds, said Lisa Augustine, senior manager of media relations for the hospital.
All of the nine, ranging in age from 6 to 15, are expected to recover, Children’s Mercy’s chief nursing officer Stephanie Meyer said at a news conference.
“The one word I would just use to describe what we saw and how they felt when they came to us was fear,” she said.
Some of the victims had been separated from their families, but Meyer said they all had been reunited.
University Health said the hospital was treating eight gunshot victims from Union Station. Two of them were in critical condition. Four others were being treated for injuries that were not gunshots.
“As a level one trauma center, we trained for this kind of thing,” said Dr. Mark Steele, the hospital’s executive chief clinical officer. ” We obviously hope that it never happens, but we were actually very well prepared. We had enough notice that we were gonna get some patients. We didn’t know exactly how many.”
St. Luke’s Health Systems said it had one gunshot patient who was in critical condition and a walk-in patient with injuries that were not life-threatening.
In a statement posted to its social media accounts, Union Station said it was “profoundly saddened by the tragic and violent events” that occurred at the end of the parade and rally. “Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and all of Kansas City.”
Union Station was coordinating with law enforcement agencies and the mayor’s office as the investigation continued and additional details emerge.
“Our appreciation is extended to the hundreds of law enforcement, security services and first responders who were on-site today to act quickly and thoroughly,” Union Station said. “Our Union Station professional team joins the Kansas City community in seeking a place of peace as we work through these very tough circumstances.”
White House, Congress respond
A White House official told McClatchy and the Star that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the event and would continue to receive updates.
“We are closely monitoring this incident, and federal law enforcement is on the scene supporting local law enforcement,” the official said.
Tom Perez, director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and a senior adviser to the president, called Lucas to offer any federal assistance the city needs, a second White House official said.
The House of Representatives held a moment of silence for the victims. Reps. Sharice Davids, Mark Alford, Ann Wagner and Emanuel Cleaver asked people to honor the victims and the families who are suffering.
The FBI told McClatchy and the Star that it “had a presence at the parade today and is providing law enforcement assistance to the Kansas City Police Department.” Officials with the Department of Homeland Security are on the ground as well.
A federal law enforcement official said there were no immediate indications the shooting was a national security-related event, but noted that the investigation was still ongoing.
‘Very quick shots’
When gunfire erupted, the crowd began to scatter as people took cover.
Sam Castro, an 18-year-old University of Kansas student from St. Louis, said he saw people running out of Union Station a little before 2 p.m.
“We just got here, so it’s kind of crazy,” he said.
One parade goer said he heard a single shot near a security post east of the stage.
“It was someone within feet of me,” said Shawn Grew, 46, of Garden City, Kansas.
His adult daughter, Alyssa, 21, had entered Union Station and he was still waiting.
A couple from Phoenix, who gave their names as Lupe and Brian, said the program had wrapped when they saw people run out of Union Station.
The couple, who were standing on the southeastern side of Union Station, said they then heard a single gunshot and ducked behind a nearby tree.
“One single pop and that’s when everybody hit the floor,” Lupe said.
John O’Connor of Kansas City said he thought he heard 15 to 20 shots left of the stage.
“I thought it was fireworks,” O’Connor said. “It sounded like a ton of very rapid succession, very quick shots.”
People scattered and there was a lot of confusion when the gunshots were fired, O’Connor said. He ran into the garage with others. He said it sounded like police were securing Union Station because he heard there might have been some return fire from someone else.
Gabe Wallace, a sophomore at Shawnee Mission East High School, heard the gunshots and hopped a barricade, scraping his head on the concrete. He lost track of his friends.
On what he was thinking? “My friends are dead.”
Earlier, two people were shot near 27th and McGee streets, according to Officer Alayna Gonzalez. The victims were said to have injuries that weren’t life-threatening.
The gun violence at the Super Bowl victory rally comes less than a month after a shooting injured six people at nearby Crown Center shopping mall. In that case, police said gunfire broke out after an argument between two groups described as “youths” and that an employee working security at Crown Center and a bystander fired weapons in response to initial shots. Weapons are not permitted in the shopping center.
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(This story includes reporting from The Kansas City Star’s Laura Bauer, Judy L. Thomas, Vahe Gregorian, Andrea Klick, Katie Moore, Eleanor Nash, Glenn E. Rice, Bill Lukitsch, Kendrick Calfee, Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Jonathan Shorman and Daniel Desrochers.)