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KANSAS CITY (AP) — A capturing on the finish of the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ Tremendous Bowl parade left a minimum of eight injured whereas sending terrified followers operating for canopy.
Fireplace Division Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins mentioned eight to 10 individuals had been injured however declined additional remark, saying solely that further data can be launched quickly.
Police mentioned in a information launch that two individuals had been detained. Followers had been urged to exit the realm as rapidly as potential.
Kansas Metropolis police mentioned on X that “baby reunification stations” had been arrange on the primary entrance to Union Station, and at 2301 Fundamental St. “We nonetheless have a number of needing reunification,” the tweet learn. Police additionally requested witnesses to the capturing to go to a nook close to Union Station.
Ofilio Martinez, 48, mentioned he heard photographs fired a pair blocks away about 10 or quarter-hour earlier than the gunfire close to the Union Station rally.
“That is making me nervous, scared,” he mentioned.
Kevin Sanders, 53, of Lenexa, Kansas, mentioned he heard what gave the impression of firecrackers after which individuals operating again. After that preliminary flurry, calm returned, and he didn’t suppose a lot of it. “We had been skeptical,” he mentioned.”
However he mentioned 10 minutes later, ambulances began displaying up.
“It sucks that somebody needed to break the celebration, however we’re in an enormous metropolis,” Sanders mentioned.
Areas that had been full of crowds had been empty after the capturing, with police and firefighters standing and speaking behind an space restricted by yellow tape.
Throngs lined the route, with followers climbing bushes and road poles, or standing on rooftops for a greater view. Proprietor Clark Hunt was on a type of buses, holding the Lombardi Trophy. Former “Fashionable Household” star Eric Stonestreet was a part of the mob.
Gamers rolled by the group on double-decker buses, DJs and drummers heralding their arrival.
“We’re stacking up trophies,” linebacker Drue Tranquill mentioned as he grabbed a reporter’s mic throughout Wednesday’s festivities to mark the Chiefs’ come-from-behind, 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers.
“Greatest followers on the planet,” exclaimed broad receiver Mecole Hardman, who caught the successful landing move, as he walked alongside the route, with the gamers signing jerseys and a minimum of one particular person’s head.
“By no means cease,” operating again Isiah Pacheco added from the route.
Key on the minds of many followers is whether or not pop famous person Taylor Swift would be part of her boyfriend Travis Kelce for the parade and victory speeches. Swift has not commented. She has a present in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday night time, the primary of three scheduled live shows on her Eras Tour.
She was nowhere to be seen early within the parade. As a substitute, Kelce was joined by his mother, Donna Kelce, the famous person of NFL mothers (her oldest son, Jason Kelce, is a middle for the Philadelphia Eagles).
Unseasonably heat temperatures within the 60s Fahrenheit (15-20 Celsius) had gamers stripping off shirts. The climate additionally helped generate a crowd that metropolis officers estimate might prime 1 million.
“I missed final 12 months. I mentioned, ‘I’m not lacking this 12 months,’” mentioned longtime fan Charles Smith Sr., who flew from his residence in Sicklerville, New Jersey, for the parade.
Recognized by pals as Kansas Metropolis Smitty, the 52-year-old first turned a Chiefs fan when Christian Okoye performed fullback for the group beginning within the late Nineteen Eighties.
“I acquired a historical past with this group,” he mentioned, including that he ran out of his residence with an enormous flag, screaming “Kansas Metropolis,” when the Chiefs clinched the victory in time beyond regulation.
The town and the group every chipped in round $1 million for the occasion commemorating Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs turning into the primary group since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots twenty years in the past to defend their title.
Some followers camped in a single day and others started to stake out spots earlier than daybreak to catch prime viewing spots. Bailey McDermott, 17, and Gracie Gilby, 16, of Lebanon, Missouri, acquired up at 3 a.m. to make the three-hour drive to the parade. They’d a celebration to look at the sport, confetti poppers erupting when the Chiefs gained.
“Form of freaking out on the finish,” mentioned Gilby, who wore a sequined Chiefs jerseys with Kelce’s No. 87 on it. McDermott additionally had a sequined jersey, hers bearing Mahomes’ No. 15.
After a long time with no championship, the town is gaining expertise with victory parades. 5 seasons in the past, the Chiefs defeated the 49ers for the group’s first Tremendous Bowl championship in 50 years. That adopted the Kansas Metropolis Royals successful the World Sequence in 2015, the town’s first baseball championship in 30 years. That 12 months, followers deserted their vehicles on the facet of the freeway so they may stroll to the celebration.
Then, final 12 months, the Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 and prophetically vowed they would be back for more.
By Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas Metropolis
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