Two youths charged over shooting at Kansas City Super Bowl parade
16 February 2024, 19:44
A mother of two died and more than 20 people were injured in the shooting.
Two youths were charged with crimes connected to the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally, authorities said on Friday, as the city tries to recover in the aftermath of the violence.
A news release from the Jackson County Family Court said the youths were charged on Thursday and are being detained in the county’s Juvenile Detention Centre “on gun-related and resisting arrest charges”.
The release said it is “anticipated that additional charges are expected in the future as the investigation by the Kansas City Police Department continues”.
No further information was released.
Juvenile court cases are largely kept private under Missouri law and hearings are not open to the public.
Police initially detained three youths but released one who they determined was not involved in the shooting.
Police are looking for others who may have been involved and are calling for witnesses, victims and people with mobile phone footage of the violence to call a dedicated hotline
A mother of two died in the burst of gunfire on Wednesday as the parade and rally were concluding.
Some 22 others — more than half of them children — were injured.
By Friday, two people remained in critical condition and one was in serious condition.
Most of the injured children were out of the hospital and expected to recover.
Police believe a dispute between several people led to the shooting.
The Chiefs won their third Super Bowl in five years Sunday, beating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime. The two previous celebrations went off without any trouble.
On Wednesday, players rode double-decker red buses through Missouri’s largest city before joining a rally at Union Station.
It was just breaking up when the shots erupted. Many people thought they were hearing fireworks. Eventually, some ducked for cover. Others leapt over barriers and sprinted, many carrying children.
Beyond the gunshot wounds, several people were treated at hospitals for injuries suffered amid the chaos.
The shooting occurred despite the presence of more than 800 police officers in the area, including on top of nearby structures, said Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended with his wife and mother and ran for safety when the shots were fired.
However, he doesn’t expect to cancel the upcoming St Patrick’s Day parade.
“We have parades all the time. I don’t think they’ll end. Certainly, we recognised the public safety challenges and issues that relate to them,” Mr Lucas said.
Taylor Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, donated 100,000 dollars (£79,000) to Ms Lopez-Galvan’s family.
Two donations of 50,000 dollars each (£39,000) were posted Friday under the singer’s name on a GoFundMe page.
Swift’s representative confirmed the donations to Variety, the trade publication reported, and The Associated Press independently verified the posts.
Kansas City has long struggled with gun violence, and in 2020 it was among nine cities targeted by the US Justice Department in an effort to crack down on violent crime.
In 2023, the city matched a record with 182 homicides, most of which involved guns.
Mr Lucas has joined with mayors across the country in calling for new laws to reduce gun violence, including mandating universal background checks.
