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| Reuters |
The mass shooting that occurred on Wednesday in Kansas City during the celebrations for the Chiefs' Super Bowl victory is believed to have been triggered by a dispute between several individuals, according to city authorities.
Police Chief Stacey Graves said that the 22 people injured in the shooting ranged in age from eight to 47, with half of them being under 16. A woman who had two children also died in the incident.
Three people, two of them minors, were arrested, and firearms were seized during the chaos, the police reported. However, investigators are urging witnesses, people with mobile phone recordings, and victims of the shooting to call an exclusive hotline.
"We are working to determine the involvement of others. And it's worth noting that we have recovered several firearms. This incident remains a very active investigation," Graves said during a press conference.
The shooting outside Union Station occurred despite the presence of more than 800 police officers in and around the building, including on top of nearby structures, said Mayor Quinton Lucas, who had attended the celebration with his wife and mother and ran to safety when the shots rang out.
At the moment, he does not contemplate canceling the upcoming St. Patrick's Day parade: "We have parades all the time. I don't think they end. Certainly, we recognize the challenges of public safety and the issues related to them," Lucas said.
Crowds had lined the parade route before the shooting, and fans climbed trees and poles or stood on rooftops for a better view. Players moved through the crowd on double-decker buses, while DJs and drums announced their arrival.
It is unclear exactly how many people attended the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade. When the Kansas City Royals won the Major League Baseball World Series in 2015, an estimated 800,000 people flocked to that victory parade, exceeding expectations in a city with a population of approximately 470,000 and a metropolitan area of about 2 million.
Witnesses described confusion when the shots began, which some initially thought were fireworks.
Some people did not run at first, but others immediately sought shelter. Initially, the rally's music continued to play despite the chaos. And then, moments after the gunfire ceased, some people walked as if nothing had happened.
Gene Hamilton, 61, from Wichita, Kansas, found it bewildering that the upbeat music of the rally continued amid the confusion.