One person was killed and up to 15 were injured in a shooting at the end of the parade to celebrate the Super Bowl win by the Kansas City Chiefs, sending terrified fans running for cover and marring yet another high-profile public event with gun violence.
Kansas City police chief Stacey Graves said at a news conference that one person was dead and up to 15 were injured.
It is not clear how many were injured by gunshots
“I’m angry at what happened today,” Ms Graves said.
Update on shooting at Union Station after Chiefs Parade. https://t.co/vFj50HneBH
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She said two people had been taken into custody.
“This is absolutely a tragedy, the likes of which we never would have expected in Kansas City, the likes of which we’ll remember for some time,” city mayor Quinton Lucas said.
Social media users posted shocking video. One user’s video showed someone apparently performing chest compressions on a shooting victim as another person, seemingly writhing in pain, lay on the ground nearby.
People screamed in the background.
Another video showed two onlookers chase and tackle someone, holding that person down until two police officers arrived.
Lisa Money of Kansas City, Kansas, was trying to gather some confetti near the end of the parade when she heard somebody yell, “Down, down, everybody down”.
At first She thought somebody might be joking until she saw the Swat team jumping over the fence.
“I can’t believe it really happened. Who in their right mind would do something like this? This is supposed to be a day of celebration for everybody in the city and the surrounding area. and then you’ve got some idiot that wants to come along and do something like this,” she said.
Kevin Sanders, 53, of Lenexa, Kansas, said he heard what sounded like fireworks and then people running. Calm returned but 10 minutes later, ambulances started showing up.
“It sucks that someone had to ruin the celebration, but we are in a big city,” Mr Sanders said.
Lisa Augustine, spokeswoman for Children’s Mercy Kansas City, said the hospital “is receiving patients from the rally.”
St Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City received one gunshot patient in a critical condition and one walk-in patient with injuries that were not life threatening, spokeswoman Laurel Gifford said.
The University of Kansas Health System was treating one person wounded in the shooting, said Jill Jensen Chadwick, news director for the health system.
“When you have this many casualties, it’s going to get spread out among a lot of hospitals so that you don’t overwhelm any single ER,” she said.
Missouri governor Mike Parson and his wife were at the parade when shots were fired but are safe, he tweeted.
“State law enforcement personnel are assisting local authorities in response efforts,” he said. “As we wait to learn more, our hearts go out to the victims.”
Chiefs’ trainer Rick Burkholder said he was with coach Andy Reid and other coaches and staff members, and the team was on buses and returning to Arrowhead Stadium.
Areas that had been filled with crowds were empty after the shooting, with police and firefighters standing and talking behind an area restricted by yellow tape.
Crowds had lined the route, with fans climbing trees and street poles, or standing on rooftops for a better view.
Players rolled through the crowd on double-decker buses, DJs and drummers heralding their arrival. Owner Clark Hunt was on one of the buses, holding the Lombardi Trophy.
