Sylvie Claire / February 16, 2024
A shooting at the Kansas City parade celebrating the Chiefs' Super Bowl victory has left at least one person dead and 21 injured, announced the fire chief of this Missouri city in the central United States. Eight life-threatening patients were transported to hospital within 10 minutes of the shooting, Chief Ross Grundyson told a news conference. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said a total of three people had been arrested in connection with the shootings.
Children's Mercy pediatric hospital had earlier told AFP it was treating 12 casualties from the rally, including 11 children. "Nine had gunshot wounds," said a hospital spokeswoman. Tens of thousands of people were celebrating the Chiefs, who marched through the streets of Kansas City to celebrate their victory on Sunday in the Super Bowl, the annual mecca of American soccer.
The traditional double-decker bus convoy headed up Grand Boulevard towards Union Station. The shooting occurred near the station's parking lot as the parade drew to a close. "I thought it was fireworks," John O'Connor told The Kansas City Star, explaining that he heard "between 15 and 20 shots in a short period of time ».
In a statement, the Kansas City Chiefs said they were "saddened" and condemned a "senseless act of violence", saying that all their players, coaches and staff, as well as their families, were safe. Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs' star quarterback, said he was "praying for Kansas City" in a posting on X.
According to Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, authorities have been in contact with the White House, which has offered federal assistance. "With Jill, we pray for those killed and wounded today in Kansas City, and for our country to find the resolve to end this senseless epidemic of gun violence that is tearing us apart," U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement.
The mayor of Kansas City, who was present with his family at the parade, said he was "angry". A parade to celebrate a Super Bowl victory, "is a day many people hope to remember for the rest of their lives; and what they shouldn't have to remember is the threat posed by gun violence," Quinton Lucas said at a press conference.
The police were deployed in large numbers at the scene, protected by yellow cordons typical of crime scenes in the USA.
Tens of thousands of people celebrated the Chiefs on Wednesday, as they marched through the streets of Kansas City to celebrate their Super Bowl victory on Sunday. The traditional line of double-decker buses wound its way up Grand Boulevard towards the old Union Station, where the shooting took place as the parade drew to a close.
Shots have been fired around (Union Station). Please leave the area", said Kansas City police on X (ex-Twitter), adding that they were "still trying to determine the number of victims". Several people were hit by gunfire.