Stacey Graves, Kansas City police chief, stated that one person was killed when bullets were fired during the Super Bowl celebration parade on Wednesday.
The overall number of victims was still unknown, but the chief estimated it may be between 10 and 15.
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Police also said that two people had been apprehended. Fans were asked to leave the area as soon as possible.
The shooting disrupted the festive mood on Valentine’s Day, as Chiefs supporters celebrated their third Super Bowl victory in five seasons with a parade.
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“We are stacking up trophies,” linebacker Drue Tranquill remarked as he snatched a reporter’s mic during Wednesday’s ceremonies commemorating the Chiefs’ come-from-behind, 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Confetti cannons erupted from double-decker buses as players made their way through the crowd, accompanied by DJs and drummers. Throngs of supporters lined the path, climbing trees and street posts or standing on rooftops to get a better view. Clark Hunt, the owner, was on one of the vehicles, with the Lombardi Trophy. Eric Stonestreet, a former Modern Family star, was part of the mob.
“Best fans in the world,” screamed wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who caught the winning touchdown pass, as he walked down the route, where the players signed jerseys and at least one person’s head.
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“Never stop,” running back Isiah Pacheco said along the journey.
Many fans were wondering if music diva Taylor Swift will join her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, for the parade and victory celebrations. Swift has not commented. She will perform in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday night, the first of three concerts on her Eras Tour.
She was nowhere to be found early in the parade. Instead, Kelce was accompanied by his mother, Donna Kelce, a celebrity among NFL mothers (her oldest son, Jason Kelce, plays center for the Philadelphia Eagles).
Players stripped off their shirts amid unseasonably warm conditions in the 60s Fahrenheit (15-20 degrees Celsius). The weather also contributed to a gathering that municipal officials believe might exceed one million.
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“I missed last year. “I said, ‘I’m not missing this year,'” said lifelong fan Charles Smith Sr., who flew from Sicklerville, New Jersey, to attend the parade.
Friends refer to the 52-year-old as Kansas City Smitty. He first became a Chiefs fan when Christian Okoye played fullback for the team in the late 1980s.
“I have a history with this team,” he added, adding that when the Chiefs won in overtime, he raced out of his house waving a large flag and screamed “Kansas City.”
The city and the team both contributed roughly $1 million to the celebration, which commemorated Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs becoming the first team to defend its championship since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots two decades ago.
Some fans stayed overnight, while others began staking out places before sunrise to secure great viewing spots. Bailey McDermott, 17, and Gracie Gilby, 16, of Lebanon, Missouri, awoke at 3 a.m. to make the three-hour drive to the parade. They held a party to watch the game, with confetti poppers exploding when the Chiefs won.
“Kind of freaking out at the end,” said Gilby, who was wearing a sequined Chiefs jersey with Kelce’s No. 87 on it. McDermott also wore a sequined jersey displaying Mahomes’ number 15.
Many of the area’s main school districts canceled classes, while businesses along the parade route transformed the day into a watching party for their employees. At least 600 Kansas City police officers were stationed along the 2-mile (3.22-kilometer) route, according to Chief Stacey Graves.
Teens and younger children were everywhere, with some tossing footballs and others watching replays of game highlights on massive TV screens.
Among them were Elysseah Buford and her companion Devaun Burns, who watched the game while working at McDonald’s. “We are losing. “We are losing,” Buford recalls saying. But Burns chastised her, even as a manager proclaimed the game a lost cause: “I said, ‘Don’t mention it. “Believe it.
The 18-year-old Raymore high school seniors attended the festivities alongside another friend, 17-year-old Mekiyzeion Williams, who dared to wonder what would have occurred if Hardman had missed the touchdown reception. “Shut up,” Burns replied.
After decades without a championship, the city is becoming acquainted with triumph parades. The Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in 50 years by defeating the 49ers five seasons ago. That came after the Kansas City Royals won the World Series in 2015, the city’s first baseball title in 30 years. That year, people left their automobiles on the side of the highway to walk to the celebration.
Last year, the Chiefs overcame the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35, promising to return for more.
One significant change this year is that the parade began one hour earlier, at 11 a.m., so the crowd will disperse before the Valentine’s Day dinner crowd arrives.
After the major cleanup, the team prepares to compete for another championship.
“It never gets old,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, before attending the festivities.
February 14, 1:55 p.m. Updated with fresh information from Kansas City Police regarding the victim’s death and new victim estimates.
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