A total of 22 individuals were subjected to gunfire subsequent to the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl gathering in the city center. Regrettably, one individual lost their life. Law enforcement authorities have disclosed that among the victims, a minimum of nine are minors, and three suspects have been apprehended. According to the Kansas City Star, the deceased victim is identified as a mother hailing from Johnson County, Kansas, and is presumed to be a well-known disc jockey affiliated with a local community radio station.
“People started crashing forward, everybody started running, there was screaming,” one woman told KMBC. “We didn’t know what was happening, but in this day and age when people run, you run.”
“We went where an elevator was, we shut the doors and sat back against the doors and we prayed,” she added.
“There was yelling and we didn’t know if it was safe to leave, so we tried to block the doors. We heard the elevator start to move so we opened the doors and ran out — there were officers there,” she said. “I’ve never been so glad to see an officer in my life.”
According to the Kansas City police, the incident occurred in the vicinity of the garage, west of Union Station, as Chiefs fans were departing. It was anticipated that approximately 1 million individuals would attend the parade on Wednesday. Arnold Sauther, a parade-goer, mentioned that after the rally concluded, the Chiefs proceeded to Union Station, and fans eagerly trailed the players in hopes of obtaining autographs.
“Then, all of a sudden they all started running out, and you see all these policemen come running in there — and you knew something happened in the station,” Sauther told Kansas City ABC affiliate KMBC.
“We see people running, and we hear gunshots, and we take off running. And we look over and there’s a guy next to us on the ground,” witness Jennifer Wilbers told KMBC.
Statement from the Kansas City Chiefs pic.twitter.com/erKsrF3SX8
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 14, 2024