New Delhi: As the NFL champion Chiefs were enjoying their Super Bowl win with a parade and a rally in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, a hail of bullets erupted outside the historic Union Station, killing one person and injuring 21 others. Police said at a press conference that three suspects were in custody and being questioned about the shooting, which had no clear motive.
Fire Department said that 22 people were hit by gunfire, one of them fatally. 15 of the injured had life-threatening wounds. The Dept said there were reports that some fans may have helped chase and catch one of the suspects, and that video evidence was being examined.
The rally and parade were attended by some 800 law enforcement officers, including FBI and ATF agents. The Chiefs said in a statement that all their players, coaches and staff who were at the rally were safe and sound.
Authorities were still working to confirm the exact number and details of the casualties hours after the shooting. A spokesperson for Children’s Mercy Kansas City said the hospital treated 12 patients from the rally, 11 of them children, and that nine of them had gunshot wounds. Graves said no children were injured in the shooting.
A spokesperson for University Health hospital said at least five people wounded in the shooting were taken there. Police said the shooting happened near a garage outside the station, at the end of the rally that followed the parade.
Social media video showed chaos outside the station, with dozens of police officers running into the building with guns drawn, as crowds of people ran away. ABC News posted online footage that captured the sound of rapid-fire gunshots.
Union Station, a 109-year-old Beaux Arts building that was once a major US rail center for passengers and cargo, is now a museum and a venue for various attractions, as well as an Amtrak terminal. Its website says its vision is to “be Kansas City’s iconic symbol of inclusion, inspiration, lifelong learning, and its center for civic celebration.”
The Super Bowl celebration featured Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on stage with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other teammates, but Kelce’s pop star girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was on tour in Australia at the time. Mahomes tweeted: “Praying for Kansas City,” with several praying-hands emojis.
Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill, who was at the parade, asked for prayers on social media: “Pray that doctors & first responders would have steady hands & that all would experience full healing.” The NFL said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by the senseless shooting that occurred in Kansas City today following the Chiefs’ celebration. Our thoughts are with the victims and everyone affected.”
The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime on Sunday to win the Super Bowl, 25-22. Union Station was the scene of a notorious shootout and murder of four law enforcement officers and a wanted criminal on June 17, 1933, in an incident known as the Kansas City Massacre.