Kansas City had anticipated a festive celebration for their championship parade on Wednesday, February 14, following the Chiefs' recent achievement of solidifying their status as one of the NFL's greatest dynasties. This accomplishment came after securing their second consecutive Super Bowl win last Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, their third championship in five seasons.
Unfortunately, the celebratory atmosphere took a tragic turn when a shooting incident occurred at the conclusion of the parade. Shots were fired from a garage located just west of Union Station shortly after 2 PM local time, prompting an immediate evacuation of the area.
One individual has lost their life as a result of the shooting, and the count of injured individuals has reached 22, according to the most recent information from CNN. Some of those injured were children.
Among the 22 individuals wounded by gunfire, Kansas City Fire Chief Ross Grundyson said that eight had injuries that were "immediately life-threatening," and an additional seven were in a "life-threatening condition."
About a million people were gathered in downtown Kansas City to celebrate their team's back-to-back championships.
"This is absolutely a tragedy the likes of which we would have never expected in Kansas City and the likes of which we remember for some time," Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said.
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Three people arrested in Kansas City Chiefs Parade Shooting
During a news conference, Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves provided details on the shooting, revealing that three individuals were taken into custody in connection with the incident.
Video footage surfaced showing several Chiefs fans taking action to tackle an active shooter, potentially saving numerous lives.
"I'm angry at what happened today. The people who came to this celebration should expect a safe environment," Graves said.
A senior White House official stated that the Biden administration is actively monitoring the situation closely and that federal law enforcement is currently on the scene, providing support to local law enforcement.
The shooting incident in Kansas City marked at least the 48th mass shooting in the United States this year, as reported by the Gun Violence Archive.
Chiefs players react on tragic parade shooting incident
Numerous Chiefs players responded to the incident by offering prayers and condolences to the city and those injured.
"Praying for Kansas City... [three praying emojis]", Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
"Please join me in prayer for all the victims in this heinous act. Pray that doctors & first responders would have steady hands & that all would experience full healing," Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill said on the same platform.
Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who caught the team's first touchdown in Super Bowl 58, expressed a desire to find ways to assist the victims, particularly children.
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