A barrage of gunfire erupted on Wednesday in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, near an outdoor celebration of the NFL champion Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory, killing at least one person and wounding 21 others as throngs of fans scurried for safety.
Police Chief Stacey Graves told a news conference three people were detained “and under investigation” in connection with the bloodshed near the city’s landmark Union Station after a confetti-strewn parade.
Graves said investigators had no known motive for the gun violence. Eleven of those hurt by gunfire or the ensuing chaos were children as young as 6.
At least 22 people were struck by gunfire, one of them fatally, authorities said. Local radio station KKFI identified the slain victim as Lisa Lopez, one of its disc jockeys and host of the show “Taste of Tejano.”
Fifteen victims suffered life-threatening wounds, Fire Department Chief Ross Grundyson said at a late-afternoon news conference.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said the prevalence of firearms and gun violence in the United States made it difficult to provide complete security for any public event, even with several hundred law enforcement officers on patrol for the Chiefs’ victory parade and rally.
“Parades, rallies, schools, movies – it seems like almost nothing is safe,” Quinton, a Democrat, told reporters, recounting how he was among those who ran for cover at the sound of gunshots.
“We became part of a statistic of too many Americans, those who have experienced or been part of or connected to a mass shooting,” he said.
Hours after the violence, the precise circumstances remained unclear, and authorities were still determining the full extent of casualties and age range of the victims.
Children’s Mercy Kansas City treated a dozen people from the incident, 11 of them children aged 6 to 15. Nine of the 12 patients were gunshot victims, a hospital spokesperson said.
Graves said she was aware of reports that some fans may have participated in the pursuit and capture of at least one of the suspects, and investigators were reviewing video of the incident.
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Some 800 law enforcement officers were at the rally and parade that preceded it, including agents of the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
All of the Chiefs players, coaches and staff who attended the victory rally were accounted for and safe, the National Football League team said in a statement.
