The parade celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs' coronation in Super Bowl LVIII ended Wednesday with gunfire that left at least one person dead and 29 injured.
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Shots were fired around Union Station in downtown Kansas City as about a million people gathered nearby.
According to local authorities, one person died and 19 others were reportedly hit by projectiles. Eight of the injured are said to be in critical condition and seven others in serious condition.
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According to reports, ten other people were also injured in the events, bringing the death toll to at least 29 injured.
Three suspects were arrested by authorities. There is currently no information available about the motives that led the shooters to act.
Photo AFP
According to AFP journalists, a man in a red jogging suit was among those arrested.
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A video widely shared on social media suggests that Chiefs supporters may have subdued one of the shooting suspects.
Police are still trying to determine whether any of the three suspects in custody is the person allegedly intercepted by fans in this video.
“Anyone in the area should quickly evacuate the area to facilitate the rescue of gunshot victims. Please avoid the Union Station parking lot to allow passage for first responders,” police also wrote on X.
The incident abruptly ended the celebrations as the vast majority of people present near the stage and train station began running in all directions.
AFP
“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.”
Reactions
The Kansas City Chiefs organization responded to the incident in a statement, saying it was “saddened by the senseless acts of violence that occurred outside Union Station following today's parade.”
“Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and the city of Kansas City,” it said. We confirm that all of our players, coaches, staff and their families are safe.
The team's star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, said in a post on X, “Pray for Kansas City.”
I pray for Kansas City… 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
– Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) February 14, 2024
The mayor and police chief of Kansas City also commented on the events in two press conferences.
“I am angry about what happened today,” said Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves. People who came to celebrate today should expect a safe environment.”
I am heartbroken by the tragedy that occurred today. My heart goes out to everyone who celebrated with us and was affected. KC, you mean the world to me.
– Travis Kelce (@tkelce) February 15, 2024
“Over 800 police officers from Kansas City and other agencies were on scene to ensure everyone’s safety,” she continued. This reprehensible act was committed by someone with evil intentions.”
“People who came to celebrate today should expect a safe environment” – Kansas City police chief and mayor press conference
For his part, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas regrets that he is “always at risk” of shootings at public events in the United States.
“Parades, rallies, schools, movie theaters, nothing seems safe,” laments Mr. Lucas.
He also said authorities have been in contact with the White House, which has offered federal assistance.
proliferation
The United States is paying a very high price for the proliferation of firearms on its territory and Americans' easy access to them.
The country has more individual guns than people: one in three adults owns at least one gun and almost one in two adults lives in a household with a gun.
The result of this prevalence is the very high rate of firearm deaths in the United States, which is incomparable to that of other developed countries.
Around 49,000 people died from gunfire in 2021, compared to 45,000 in 2020, which was already a record year. This equates to more than 130 deaths per day, more than half of which are suicides.
But it is the mass shootings that stand out most, highlighting the ideological divide that separates conservatives and progressives on how to prevent such tragedies.
Recent American history is marked by murder, and no place in daily life seems safe, from the store to the church, from the supermarket to the nightclub, from the public street to public transportation.
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Of all these massacres, some in schools particularly shocked public opinion, such as the massacre carried out by a mental patient in a Connecticut elementary school in 2012, in which 20 children aged 6 and 7 were killed.
AFP
The United States Congress has not passed ambitious legislation because many elected officials are under the influence of the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA), America's leading gun lobby.
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Indeed, in a country where the ability to own a firearm is a fundamental constitutional right for millions of Americans, the only recent legislative advances remain marginal, such as the generalization of primarily criminal and psychiatric background checks.
-In collaboration with Agence France-Presse