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The crime scene shortly after the shooting: “Parades, rallies, schools – hardly anything seems safe anymore.”
Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images
John O'Connor was standing to the left of the stage when the chaos broke out: "It sounded like fireworks," the fan of the American football team Kansas City Chiefs told the local newspaper "The Kansas City Star." »I didn't start running like many others did at the beginning. But then it seemed like someone was hurt and everyone ran away.”
It was supposed to be an exuberant celebration for the winners of this year's Super Bowl in the USA, but the festival ended in chaos and violence. There were shots fired on the sidelines of a parade honoring the American football team Kansas City Chiefs. According to police, three perpetrators opened fire near the Union Station parking lot on Wednesday evening, shortly after the Super Bowl winners spoke to supporters. In addition to a dead woman, DJ Lisa Lopez, there were 21 injured, including eleven children. The perpetrators were arrested.
Television footage and video clips show people running in panic or throwing themselves to the ground as police officers with body armor and guns drawn made their way through the crowds. A young man who was with friends at the parade told The Kansas City Star that he jumped over a barrier to get to safety. "All I could think of was: Are my friends dead or not?"
LeAndre Allen and Spencer Johnson were also at the parade. "The shooter was behind me," Allen told The Kansas City Star. He ran into the crowd and everyone panicked. Johnson said a girl he knew broke her leg at the scene. She said the parents quickly collected their children. "It was just scary."
Landon Wilbers said, "I was standing on the sidelines trying to see if I could grab a football player to take a photo with him. And I heard gunshots, so we ran. I looked to the left and there was someone lying on the ground.”
What exactly happened was initially completely unclear. The city's police chief, Stacey Graves, said three people had been arrested and were under investigation. However, the background to the crime is open. "We don't have a motive at the moment."
The NFL football league expressed dismay at the incident, as did the Kansas City Chiefs. The football club announced on the X platform that all players, coaches, employees and their families were safe. The club further wrote: "We are deeply saddened by the senseless act of violence."
“My heart is broken,” wrote Travis Kelce on X, who had recently spoken to the countless cheering fans. "I'm praying for Kansas City," wrote star quarterback Mahomes after the incidents, which left not only the football stars dismayed.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said more than 800 police officers were deployed during the Super Bowl celebrations. And yet the shots still happened. "Parades, rallies, schools - hardly anything seems to be safe anymore," he complained. "I don't want to have to fear being shot at every major event." US President Joe Biden also expressed his dismay - and anger - about the never-ending gun violence in the country.
kha/dpa