By — Gabrielle Hays Gabrielle Hays Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/what-we-know-about-the-shooting-near-the-kansas-city-chiefs-parade Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter What we know about the shooting near Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade Nation Updated on Feb 16, 2024 1:29 PM EDT — Published on Feb 15, 2024 3:48 PM EDT A mother of two is dead and more than 20 people were injured after a shooting broke out at the tail end of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade on Wednesday. At least eight children were among the wounded. READ MORE: Police investigating who was responsible for mass shooting at Kansas City Super Bowl celebration Two juveniles have been charged in connection with the shooting, police announced Friday. The juveniles are being held in a county juvenile detention center “on gun-related and resisting arrest charges,” according to a statement from the Jackson County Family Court. After the charges became public, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas thanked law enforcement, juvenile court officers, and the Jackson County prosecutor for their work in bringing the “first set of charges” forward. “I know more investigation and potentially further charges are ahead as we pursue justice for all impacted,” he said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. Police say the shooting was the result of a dispute among several people and happened outside Union Station, where an estimated 1 million people had gathered for the Chiefs celebration. More than 800 members of law enforcement were already on the ground to support the celebration. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves confirmed in a news conference Thursday that the shooting had no “nexus to terrorism” or homegrown violent extremism. Here’s what we know so far about the shooting: How many people were killed, and what’s the status of the injured? Elizabeth Galvan, 43, has been identified by police as the person killed in the shooting. The mother of two children was a local DJ in the Kansas City area at KKFI, where she co-hosted “Taste of Tejano.” Elizabeth Galvan, mother of two and beloved local DJ, has been identified by police as the person killed in the shooting. Photo courtesy of KKFI In a statement, the radio station said, “This senseless act has taken a beautiful person from her family and this KC Community.” Support for Galvan’s family has poured in, with thousands of people donating to a GoFundMe page created to benefit her two surviving children and her husband of 22 years as they plan her memorial. Grammy Award-winning artist Taylor Swift made a $100,000 donation to the fundraiser. “She was an amazing mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend to so many. We ask that you continue to keep her family in your prayers as we grieve the loss of her life,” the page read. According to Kansas City Fire Department Chief Ross Grundyson, 22 people were treated for injuries. Eight were considered critical, and seven were serious with the rest being minor injuries. Police said the victims range in age between 8 and 47 years old. Nearly half were under the age of 16. What do we know about the suspects? Police respond after shots were reportedly fired near the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory parade on February 14, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images Police initially detained three suspects, including two juveniles. On Thursday, the juveniles were charged in the shooting, while the Kansas City Police’s investigation continues. A statement from the Jackson County Family Court said “additional charges are expected in the future.” “No one who is believed to be involved in the shooting has been released,” police said in a statement. Not long after the shooting, video surfaced of what appeared to be fans tackling someone. Graves touched on the incident during a news conference with reporters Thursday morning. “Law enforcement response was exemplary,” she said. There were 600 members of law enforcement present at the event and more than 200 from surrounding areas, Graves said. She added that “those in attendance also responded, helped one another and even physically stopped a person who was believed to be involved in the incident.” She thanked those who “bravely yesterday alongside law enforcement. “Your selfless act did not go unnoticed.” Graves also said police had confiscated several guns. She would not confirm what kinds of weapons they were. It’s unclear what led to the dispute that ended in gunfire. How are community leaders responding? Wednesday marked the anniversary of the 2018 shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Before the shooting, Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., commented on the anniversary, calling every loss of life to gun violence “a policy failure.” Hours later, Bush posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the violence in her home state. “Today should’ve been a joyous day for Kansas City—gun violence stole that. My heart is with those injured, their families & all in attendance. Missouri has some of the weakest gun safety laws in the U.S.—pushed for by the NRA-funded GOP. Their greed is harming our communities,” Bush said in a post after learning of the news. Republican Gov. Mike Parson was in the area with his wife when the shots broke out at the end of the parade. “We commend local first responders and our state Missouri Disaster Medical Assistance Team for their quick actions to stop the threat and treat those in need. State and local law enforcement were prepared, they had a plan, and they ran towards danger when presented, undoubtedly saving lives,” the governor said in a statement. Lucas was also in attendance with his wife and recalled running for safety after shots rang out. “This is difficult for our community. We will continue to work hard to ensure assailants are brought to justice, our victims receive exceptional care, all families impacted receive our support and that we as a city and country do all we can to prevent tragedies like this from ever occurring Again,” he said in a statement. What do the gun laws look like in Missouri? Missouri has some of the loosest gun laws in the nation. The state does not require a permit to purchase a weapon nor a permit to carry one. There are also no laws in place that require owners to be licensed or to register their firearms. In 2021, state legislators introduced legislation known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act, which would have prohibited law enforcement from imposing any federal gun laws the state considered unconstitutional. It included a $50,000 fine for violations of the law. The law was passed but was eventually blocked by a federal judge, a decision that was later upheld by the Supreme Court in October 2023. Kansas City and gun violence While the FBI reported that violent crime in 2022 had fallen nationwide, 2023 was the deadliest year in Kansas City’s history, with 185 homicides, according to a database from The Kansas City Star. According to the Gun Violence Archive there had been 49 mass shootings so far this year as of Feb. 13, the day before the Kansas City incident. Nearly 5,000 people have been killed by gun violence in 2024, according to the archive. The shooting on Wednesday marked the 25th mass shooting the Kansas City area had seen in the last five years, local reports noted. By — Gabrielle Hays Gabrielle Hays Gabrielle Hays is a Communities Correspondent for the PBS NewsHour out of St. Louis.
A mother of two is dead and more than 20 people were injured after a shooting broke out at the tail end of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade on Wednesday. At least eight children were among the wounded. READ MORE: Police investigating who was responsible for mass shooting at Kansas City Super Bowl celebration Two juveniles have been charged in connection with the shooting, police announced Friday. The juveniles are being held in a county juvenile detention center “on gun-related and resisting arrest charges,” according to a statement from the Jackson County Family Court. After the charges became public, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas thanked law enforcement, juvenile court officers, and the Jackson County prosecutor for their work in bringing the “first set of charges” forward. “I know more investigation and potentially further charges are ahead as we pursue justice for all impacted,” he said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. Police say the shooting was the result of a dispute among several people and happened outside Union Station, where an estimated 1 million people had gathered for the Chiefs celebration. More than 800 members of law enforcement were already on the ground to support the celebration. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves confirmed in a news conference Thursday that the shooting had no “nexus to terrorism” or homegrown violent extremism. Here’s what we know so far about the shooting: How many people were killed, and what’s the status of the injured? Elizabeth Galvan, 43, has been identified by police as the person killed in the shooting. The mother of two children was a local DJ in the Kansas City area at KKFI, where she co-hosted “Taste of Tejano.” Elizabeth Galvan, mother of two and beloved local DJ, has been identified by police as the person killed in the shooting. Photo courtesy of KKFI In a statement, the radio station said, “This senseless act has taken a beautiful person from her family and this KC Community.” Support for Galvan’s family has poured in, with thousands of people donating to a GoFundMe page created to benefit her two surviving children and her husband of 22 years as they plan her memorial. Grammy Award-winning artist Taylor Swift made a $100,000 donation to the fundraiser. “She was an amazing mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend to so many. We ask that you continue to keep her family in your prayers as we grieve the loss of her life,” the page read. According to Kansas City Fire Department Chief Ross Grundyson, 22 people were treated for injuries. Eight were considered critical, and seven were serious with the rest being minor injuries. Police said the victims range in age between 8 and 47 years old. Nearly half were under the age of 16. What do we know about the suspects? Police respond after shots were reportedly fired near the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory parade on February 14, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images Police initially detained three suspects, including two juveniles. On Thursday, the juveniles were charged in the shooting, while the Kansas City Police’s investigation continues. A statement from the Jackson County Family Court said “additional charges are expected in the future.” “No one who is believed to be involved in the shooting has been released,” police said in a statement. Not long after the shooting, video surfaced of what appeared to be fans tackling someone. Graves touched on the incident during a news conference with reporters Thursday morning. “Law enforcement response was exemplary,” she said. There were 600 members of law enforcement present at the event and more than 200 from surrounding areas, Graves said. She added that “those in attendance also responded, helped one another and even physically stopped a person who was believed to be involved in the incident.” She thanked those who “bravely yesterday alongside law enforcement. “Your selfless act did not go unnoticed.” Graves also said police had confiscated several guns. She would not confirm what kinds of weapons they were. It’s unclear what led to the dispute that ended in gunfire. How are community leaders responding? Wednesday marked the anniversary of the 2018 shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Before the shooting, Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., commented on the anniversary, calling every loss of life to gun violence “a policy failure.” Hours later, Bush posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the violence in her home state. “Today should’ve been a joyous day for Kansas City—gun violence stole that. My heart is with those injured, their families & all in attendance. Missouri has some of the weakest gun safety laws in the U.S.—pushed for by the NRA-funded GOP. Their greed is harming our communities,” Bush said in a post after learning of the news. Republican Gov. Mike Parson was in the area with his wife when the shots broke out at the end of the parade. “We commend local first responders and our state Missouri Disaster Medical Assistance Team for their quick actions to stop the threat and treat those in need. State and local law enforcement were prepared, they had a plan, and they ran towards danger when presented, undoubtedly saving lives,” the governor said in a statement. Lucas was also in attendance with his wife and recalled running for safety after shots rang out. “This is difficult for our community. We will continue to work hard to ensure assailants are brought to justice, our victims receive exceptional care, all families impacted receive our support and that we as a city and country do all we can to prevent tragedies like this from ever occurring Again,” he said in a statement. What do the gun laws look like in Missouri? Missouri has some of the loosest gun laws in the nation. The state does not require a permit to purchase a weapon nor a permit to carry one. There are also no laws in place that require owners to be licensed or to register their firearms. In 2021, state legislators introduced legislation known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act, which would have prohibited law enforcement from imposing any federal gun laws the state considered unconstitutional. It included a $50,000 fine for violations of the law. The law was passed but was eventually blocked by a federal judge, a decision that was later upheld by the Supreme Court in October 2023. Kansas City and gun violence While the FBI reported that violent crime in 2022 had fallen nationwide, 2023 was the deadliest year in Kansas City’s history, with 185 homicides, according to a database from The Kansas City Star. According to the Gun Violence Archive there had been 49 mass shootings so far this year as of Feb. 13, the day before the Kansas City incident. Nearly 5,000 people have been killed by gun violence in 2024, according to the archive. The shooting on Wednesday marked the 25th mass shooting the Kansas City area had seen in the last five years, local reports noted.