Three people have been detained for questioning in connection to the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl LVIII victory parade Wednesday afternoon, according to police.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves told reporters at a press conference that it was unclear what led to the shooting but that an investigation into the incident was ongoing. Police previously said that two armed suspects were detained in the shooting.
Graves also addressed a video shared on social media that claims to show fans who were attending the parade tackle one of the suspects. The police chief said that officers are working to identify if one of the suspects currently in custody is the individual who was tackled.
Officials said one person was killed and up to 21 others were injured in the shooting.
According to Kansas City Fire Department Chief Ross Grundyson, eight victims suffered injuries that are considered "immediately life-threatening." Seven other victims suffered life-threatening injuries, and six others were treated for minor injuries.
The Context
Shots were fired Wednesday afternoon west of Union Station near a parking garage that was close to the parade's main stage. Kansas City Police previously told Newsweek in an email that officers were "working to provide for the safety of everyone inside Union Station and expedite care of those injured."
"I'm angry at what happened today," Graves told reporters at the press briefing. "The people who came to this celebration should expect a safe environment."
The police chief said that over 800 law enforcement officers were present at the event Wednesday "to keep everyone safe."
"Because of bad actors, which were very few, this tragedy occurred even in the presence of uniformed law enforcement officers, who again ran toward [the suspects] and took them into custody," Graves added.
The Views
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes reacted to the shooting in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, writing that he was "praying for Kansas City."
The city's mayor, Quinton Lucas, told reporters that he and his wife were among those who were "caught up" in the incident, adding that they had to "run at the sound of shooting."
"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."
"I won't get in a big debate right now, I think we're still doing an investigation," Lucas, a Democrat, added later in the press conference. "But I mean, what you saw happen was why people talk about guns a lot."
"We had over 800 officers, their staff situated all around Union Station today," he continued. "We had security in any number of places, eyes on top of buildings and beyond. And there still is a risk to people."
Update 2/14/24, 6:50 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information from the Kansas City Police Department.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
