In Kansas City, a tragic end to Super Bowl parade shocks community (2024)

The violence forced emergency evacuations of the region’s top political leaders gathered for the parade and rally, including the governors of Missouri and Kansas and the mayor of Kansas City, who fled the shots with his wife and mother.

The city, intensely devoted to its dynastic football team, had been eagerly awaiting the festivities, excited to rejoice in a quintessentially American triumph. Instead, the event devolved into a most American tragedy.

“Parades, rallies, schools, movies,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas (D) said. “It seems like almost nothing is safe.”

The incident reverberated around a country still shaken by several recent episodes of high-profile gun violence: In Houston, a woman burst into a megachurch between Sunday services and opened fire; in D.C., three police officers were shot while serving a warrant Wednesday; and just hours later, four students were wounded in a drive-by shooting outside of an Atlanta high school.

It has all unfolded during a particularly painful week, when communities across America marked anniversaries of past gun massacres: Six years ago Wednesday, 17 were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.; a year ago Tuesday, three students were killed at Michigan State University.

Taken together, the incidents and anniversaries underscore what gun-control advocates describe as a terrifying modern reality: that shootings can happen just about anywhere at any time.

“It’s absurd that we cannot celebrate our city’s victory without fearing for our lives at the same time,” Tara Bennett, a volunteer with the Kansas City chapter of Moms Demand Action who was at the parade, said in a statement.

Missouri has among the nation’s highest rates of gun deaths and firearm ownership, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun-safety advocacy group. The state also has some of the weakest gun-control laws in the country and its Republican leadership — who control both chambers of the legislature and the governorship — have shown little interest in passing further restrictions.

As of late Wednesday, Kansas City police had taken three people into custody and recovered multiple firearms, but they had not identified the suspects or the weapons, nor had they named any of the victims. Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a radio DJ and host of “Taste of Tejano” on Kansas City radio station KKFI, was killed in the shooting, according to Tommy Andrade, a family friend and co-host of the show. Andrade said Lopez-Galvan’s husband, Mike, informed him of her death. The station put out a statement calling her death a “senseless act.”

At a news conference, Police Chief Stacey Graves said officials were still looking for a possible motive.

“There’s a lot of work ahead,” she said. “This is just the beginning stages. All of that is being actively investigated.”

Graves and other city leaders praised the parade’s security measures and the police response, saying the hundreds of officers already on the scene acted fast and prevented further bloodshed. The shooting occurred, despite the heavy police presence, because of “bad actors,” Graves said.

Wednesday’s festivities marked Kansas City’s third Super Bowl victory in five years, and the day’s party started off just like the others. Fans arrived early on an unseasonably warm Midwest day. They lined the streets, draped in Chiefs gear, holding signs and waving team flags as they jockeyed for position, trying to catch a glimpse of the players as they bounded past.

Local hero and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes swaggered down the parade route, slapping hands with fans and unzipping his jacket to show off a bare chest. Travis Kelce, the team’s all-pro tight end and boyfriend to Taylor Swift, dropped to one knee and chugged a beer as the crowd around him roared.

But the scenes of delightful revelry were soon overshadowed.

Police responded to the first shots shortly after the team’s players and coaches delivered remarks at the rally outside the train station. Videos posted on social media showed spectators rushing from the area as police ran inside the historic building. Other videos showed responders aiding victims on the ground outside.

Kansas City interim fire chief Ross Grundyson told reporters that of the 21 injured victims, eight had “immediately life-threatening” injuries and seven had “life-threatening injuries.” Six others were considered to have “minor” injuries. A spokesperson for Kansas City’s Children’s Mercy hospital confirmed to The Washington Post that the facility was treating 12 patients from the shooting, 11 of whom were children.

In a statement, President Biden called the Super Bowl “the most unifying event in America” and said the shooting should spur fast action on gun control measures.

“For this joy to be turned to tragedy today in Kansas City cuts deep in the American soul,” he said. “Today’s events should move us, shock us, shame us into acting. What are we waiting for? What else do we need to see? How many more families need to be torn apart?”

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R), who attended the parade with his wife, said it was a “tragic conclusion to a celebration we had all looked forward to.” And Gov. Laura Kelly (D) of Kansas said she was evacuated and that the “senseless act of violence goes against everything Kansas City and the Chiefs Kingdom stand for.”

In a statement, the Chiefs said all of the team’s players, coaches, staff and their families were safe.

“When are we going to fix these gun laws?” Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu wrote on social media. “How many more people have to die to say enough is enough?”

Other Chiefs players — including Mahomes, offensive lineman Donovan Smith, defensive lineman Mike Pennel, and safeties Justin Reid and Mike Edwards — also posted messages of support for the victims.

Offensive lineman Trey Smith praised the first responders “who ran towards the sound of danger. You’re the ones who should be celebrated today.”

Lucas, the mayor, whose team had just joined a rarefied circle of NFL clubs with four or more Super Bowl wins, lamented the city’s membership in another group — the growing list of places afflicted by shootings.

“I wish we lived in a world where we wouldn’t have to see incidents like that,” Lucas said. “This is a day that a lot of people look forward to, something they remember for a lifetime. And what they shouldn’t have to remember is the threat of gun violence marring a day like this.”

Des Bieler contributed to this report. Somasundaram reported from Washington and Thebault from Los Angeles.