Things to know about the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration

Jacob Gooch talks about being shot in the leg during Wednesday's Super Bowl victory rally for the Kansas City Chiefs while recovering in Leavenworth, Kan., Thursday. Gooch, along with his wife and his son, were among the more than 20 people injured in the incident. (AP)
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Updated 16 February 2024
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Things to know about the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration

  • Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended with his wife and mother and ran for safety when shots were fired, said the shooting happened despite the presence of more than 800 police officers in the building and nearby
  • The 22 people injured in the shooting ranged in age from 8 to 47, and half of them were under the age of 16, Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a news conference Thursday. A mother of two was killed

KANSAS CITY, Missouri: The shooting after the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration that killed one woman and injured more than 20 people appears to have stemmed from a dispute, police said Thursday.

Shots rang out at the end of the celebration outside the city’s historic Union Station. Fans had lined the parade route and some even climbed trees and street poles or stood on rooftops to watch as players passed by on double-decker buses. The team said all players, coaches, staffers and their families were safe and accounted for after the shooting.

Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended with his wife and mother and ran for safety when shots were fired, said the shooting happened despite the presence of more than 800 police officers in the building and nearby.

Here’s what we know:

THE VICTIMS

The 22 people injured in the shooting ranged in age from 8 to 47, and half of them were under the age of 16, Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a news conference Thursday. A mother of two was killed.

Radio station KKFI said via Facebook that Lisa Lopez-Galvan, the host of “Taste of Tejano,” was killed. Lopez-Galvan, whose DJ name was “Lisa G,” was an extrovert and devoted mother, said Rosa Izurieta and Martha Ramirez, two childhood friends who worked with her at a staffing company. Izurieta said Lopez-Galvan attended the parade with her husband and her adult son, a loyal Kansas City sports fan who also was shot.

Lopez-Galvan played at weddings, quinceañeras and at an American Legion bar and grill, mixing Tejano, Mexican and Spanish music with R&B and hip hop. Izurieta and Ramirez said Lopez-Galvan’s family is active in the Latino community, and her father founded the city’s first mariachi group, Mariachi Mexico, in the 1980s.

Eleven children were taken to a children’s hospital, nine of them with gunshot wounds, an official said. Three children were still being treated Thursday and all were expected to recover.

Eight gunshot victims were taken to another hospital Wednesday. Officials there said two were in critical condition Thursday and five had been discharged. Three of four people injured in the chaos after the shooting had been discharged.

One gunshot victim was in critical condition at a third hospital Thursday, an official said. Four people injured after the shooting were treated there and released.

THE WITNESSES

The police chief said the parade likely attracted 1 million people in the city with a population of about 470,000 people and a metropolitan area of about 2 million.

Two members of the crowd could be seen in a video tackling a person.

Trey Filter of Wichita, Kansas, said he was walking to his car with his wife and two children when he saw “a mess starting to unfold.” He and another man tackled a person and kept him pinned down until officers arrived. It wasn’t immediately clear if the person was involved in the shooting, but Filter’s wife, Casey, saw a gun nearby and picked it up.

Hank Hunter, a sophomore at a Kansas high school, and a friend ran when people started hitting the ground. After his friend got hurt jumping a barricade, a guard ushered him into Union Station, where Chiefs Coach Andy Reid consoled the teen.

Chiefs offensive lineman Trey Smith shared his WWE title belt to help calm a young boy. Smith, who sported the belt during the celebration, noticed the frightened boy, who was with his father. He told Good Morning America that he and long snapper James Winchester were among those sheltering in a closet and that Winchester “was very instrumental in keeping people calm.”

Gene Hamilton, 61, of Wichita, Kansas, said he was sitting in the area when he heard what sounded like a lot of fireworks and everyone was running. Hamilton said he found it unnerving that the upbeat rally music continued amid the confusion.

Manuel Vigil, 43, said he heard shots that sounded like fireworks as he posed for pictures with a group near where a band had played. It was so shocking that no one ran at first, he said.

THE INVESTIGATION

Graves said three people, including two juveniles, were initially detained and that several firearms were recovered. Later, a department spokesperson said one person was released and only two teenagers remained in custody.

Police did not release details about those who were detained or the weapons seized. Graves said police are working to determine whether other people were involved.

Investigators urged witnesses, people with cellphone footage and victims of the violence to call a dedicated hotline.

In a message posted on social media, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said she will use every tool at her disposal to get answers. “We will get through this together,” she said. “We will heal together. And we will fight together.”

CITY’S HISTORY

Kansas City has struggled with gun violence, and in 2020 it was among nine cities chosen by the US Justice Department in an effort to crack down on violent crime. In 2023, the city matched its record with 182 homicides, most of which involved guns.

Mayor Lucas has joined with mayors across the country in calling for new laws to reduce gun violence, including mandating universal background checks.

VIOLENCE AT SPORTS CELEBRATIONS

Wednesday’s shooting is the latest at a sports celebration in the US. A shooting wounded several people last year in Denver after the Nuggets’ NBA championship.


Salah scores Egypt’s late winner to beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in Africa Cup

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Salah scores Egypt’s late winner to beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in Africa Cup

  • Salah’s winner gave the Pharaohs three points in Group B. The Liverpool superstar has never won Africa’s premier competition

RABAT, Morocco: Mohamed Salah got Egypt off to a winning start in the Africa Cup of Nations by scoring late for 2-1 against Zimbabwe on Monday.
Salah captained the team in his first start for nearly a month and fired inside the bottom corner in stoppage time to spare Egypt embarrassment against a team ranked 129th in the world.
Egypt, the record seven-time champion, was thwarted for long periods in the coastal city of Agadir by Zimbabwe’s stubborn defending and an outstanding performance from goalkeeper Washington Arubi.
Prince Dube stunned the favorites in the 20th minute when he took Emmanuel Jalai’s cross with his first touch and turned to flick it past Egypt ‘keeper Mohamed El-Shenawy with his next.
Salah tried riling his teammates but they were dealt another blow shortly afterward with Emam Ashour going off injured. The midfielder’s tears suggested his tournament is over just as it begun.
Arubi tipped over a fierce strike from Marmoush, Trézéguet was booked for diving in an attempt to win a penalty, then Salah, Marmoush, and Mohamed all had efforts blocked before the break.
The game resumed in the same manner after until Marmoush finally found a way to score from a difficult angle in the 64th.
Salah’s winner gave the Pharaohs three points in Group B. The Liverpool superstar has never won Africa’s premier competition.
South Africa also wins
Lyle Foster earned South Africa a hard-fought 2-1 over Angola in the other group game.
The Bafana Bafana ended a six-game winless streak against Angola, which had won three and drawn three of their meetings since a World Cup qualifier in November 2015.
South Africa’s Oswin Appollis opened the scoring in Marrakech with a low strike inside the left post in the 21st minute, but midfielder Show equalized some minutes later when he deflected Fredy’s free kick from the wing inside the near post.
Tempers frayed after a foul by South Africa’s Aubrey Modiba before the break.
Tshepang Moremi thought he scored a brilliant goal after it. The goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR review, and Mbekezeli Mbokazi struck the crossbar with a fierce strike as South Africa kept pushing.
Angola coach Patrice Beaumelle refreshed his attacking lineup by sending on Mabululu and Milson in the 76th but it was Foster who scored at the other end when he curled the ball beyond Hugo Marques’ outstretched arm in the 79th.
Mali frustrated
Patson Daka scored in stoppage time for 2012 champion Zambia to grab a 1-1 draw against Mali in the early game in Casablanca.
Mali dominated and missed a penalty before the break when Willard Mwanza saved El Bilal Touré’s effort – the second saved penalty in as many games at the tournament.
Lassine Sinayoko finally broke the deadlock around the hour mark, but Daka had the final say with a header to earn Zambia a point in Group A.
Host nation Morocco leads the group with three after opening with a 2-0 win over Comoros on Sunday.