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Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers turned into a tragedy as gunfire erupted at the Chiefs’ victory rally on Thursday, February 15 (IST). The mass shooting that occurred near Union Station where the Chiefs players addressed the fans, left at least one person dead and more than 22 people injured, according to authorities. The shooting occurred at the end of the parade, which was likely to be attended by more than a million fans, leading to chaos among the fans.
While the list of wounded people included at least eight children, the victim who lost her life was identified as Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a local DJ. The Chiefs released a statement after the tragedy and said, “We are truly saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred outside of Union Station at the conclusion of today's parade and rally. Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and all of Kansas City.”
The winners of the Super Bowl LVIII also confirmed that players and their families were safe and accounted for during the shooting. The Chiefs said, “At this time, we have confirmed that all of our players, coaches, staff, and their families are safe and accounted for. We thank the local law enforcement officers and first responders who were on-scene to assist.”
Fans stop gunman; three people detained post Kansas City Chiefs’ parade shooting
After chaos erupted at the victory parade, two brave fans were seen tackling a gunman who opened fire. The fans were seen leaping on the suspected gunman and dragging him to the ground, while one woman was seen picking up a gun after it. Apart from that, later it was confirmed that three people connected with the shooting were detained and firearms were recovered from the site.
In a news release, the Kansas City Police confirmed that three people were detained, as one of the rally attendees captured video of her father tackling one of the gunmen before police caught him. As per the attendee, a gun was seen falling away from the person. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the shooting at the parade was the forty-ninth mass shooting in the US so far this year.