The fatal shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory parade, which killed one and injured over two dozen, was the product of a personal feud that devolved into violence — and officers have detained three people who may be to blame, authorities said Thursday.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves highlighted that the Wednesday afternoon attack on the west side of the city’s iconic Union Station was unrelated to domestic terrorism or violent extremism.
Instead, the incident “appeared to be a dispute between several people that ended in gunfire,” Graves told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.
She added two of the three suspects are kids. Graves explained that the agency has 24 hours to charge or free them.
“We have subjects who are detained,” Graves stated. “We are investigating the involvement of others, and have found many guns… This is still an active study.”
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Their bullets wounded 22 people, including nine children, and murdered 43-year-old mother-of-two Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a die-hard Chiefs supporter who apparently died from an abdominal injury.
“She was the most wonderful, beautiful person,” Lisa Lopez, a longtime friend (no relation) who works as the newsroom’s senior administrative assistant, told the Kansas City Star.
Graves stated that officers sympathize with Galvan’s family and friends and are “working tirelessly to investigate her murder.”
According to Ross Grundyson, chief of the local fire department, eight of the wounded were in critical condition when first responders arrived.
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He said that another seven were in serious condition and six had minor injuries. All critical patients were transported to hospitals in less than 10 minutes after being discovered.
“KC FD had a plan in place, and we were ready to respond to an incident like this,” Grundyson said in a statement.
“I am very grateful and proud of the service of these crews that worked this terrible incident,” he went on to say. “They gave it all yesterday, like they do every day in our city. Again, prioritize the public’s life over their own.”
There were no updates on the wounded’s status Thursday.
The horrific shooting marred an otherwise festive celebration of the Chiefs’ recent Super Bowl victory against the San Francisco 49ers.
Hundreds of thousands of people attended the march, but scared throngs fled for cover as gunfire rang out.
“I’m angry about what happened today,” Graves told reporters on Wednesday. “The people who came to this celebration should expect a safe environment.”
“This tragedy occurred even in the presence of uniformed law enforcement officers,” she said, adding that there were approximately 800 cops stationed in the vicinity when the gunshots began to fly.
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According to one video circulating on social media, a courageous Chiefs fan ran down and assaulted one individual suspected of being a gunman before officers apprehended them.
On Thursday, Graves praised the individuals who assisted law officers throughout the difficult circumstances.
“They helped one another and even physically stopped a person who was believed to be involved,” Graves went on to say. “Your selfless act did not go unnoticed.”
Police are still investigating how the culprits knew each other and whether Wednesday’s shooting was linked to previous crimes in the region, according to the chief.
“We want to make sure that anyone who was responsible for yesterday is brought to justice,” Graves said in a statement.
Clips from the commotion showed revelers fleeing for their life and numerous injured persons being carried out on stretchers.
A video acquired by TMZ shows one victim lying on the ground in a pool of blood while people conducted chest compressions.
One of the victims, Jacob Gooch, Sr., told CBS Mornings that he had yet to understand the events.
“It’s just crazy,” he said. “We are all still in disbelief right now. “I don’t understand what happened.”
Gooch, whose wife and 13-year-old kid were also shot, claimed he did not see the gunman. But his wife and kids witnessed a man suspect draw a gun and begin firing indiscriminately.
Gooch said he overheard an argument between a girl and someone else, and the girl said something like, “Don’t do this, not here,” he added.
Then the shots rang out.
“At the time, I thought [they] were fireworks,” he told me.
According to Gooch, a bullet passed through his wife’s calf, while he was struck in the ankle, shattering some of his bones.
His son still has a round embedded in his foot.
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