UNITED STATES NEWS

2 juveniles charged in connection with shooting at Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally

Feb 16, 2024, 1:00 PM | Updated: 7:28 pm

People take cover during a shooting during the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory rally on Feb....

People take cover after shots were fired during the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory rally on Feb. 14, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two juveniles were charged with crimes connected to the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally, authorities said Friday, as the city tries to recover in the aftermath of the violence.

A news release from the Jackson County Family Court said the juveniles are being detained in the county’s Juvenile Detention Center on gun-related and resisting arrest charges. Additional charges are expected as the investigation continues.

No further information was released. Defendants age 17 and under in Missouri are typically adjudicated through the juvenile system, which is far more private than the system for adults. Names of the accused are not released, nor are police documents such as probable cause statements.

In cases involving serious crimes such as murder, juveniles as young as 12 can be certified for trial as adults, said Lynn Urban, a professor who chairs the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department at the University of Central Missouri.

Federal law prohibits the death penalty for anyone under age 18 at the time of the crime.

Police initially detained three juveniles but released one who they determined wasn’t involved in the shooting. Police are looking for others who may have been involved and are calling for witnesses, victims and people with cellphone video of the violence to call a dedicated hotline.

Meanwhile, Kansas Citians are turning to religious gatherings, vigils and counseling to try to cope with the horror of what happened.

A mother and popular disc jockey died in the burst of gunfire Wednesday as the parade and rally were concluding, and 22 others — more than half of them children — were injured. By Friday, two people remained in critical condition and one was in serious condition. Most of the injured children were out of the hospital and expected to recover.

But the emotional recovery is only just beginning in a community horrified that two juveniles could cause such trauma. Police believe a dispute between several people led to the shooting.

The slain woman was identified by radio station KKFI-FM as Lisa Lopez-Galvan, host of “Taste of Tejano.” On Friday, a family friend, Katrina Rojas Vincent, said she could feel Lopez-Galvan’s presence as she stood near the shooting site.

“Her spirit will always be here welcoming people back to this location, to not be afraid to not have any fear, to enjoy yourself and live your life,” Vincent said.

She described Lopez-Galvan as a vibrant, giving person.

“Always had that a smile ear to ear and just the positivity that she brought to our community with the music that she would play” on her radio program, Vincent said.

The Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office set up in-person counseling for the traumatized. Twelve people attended Thursday, including two children, spokesman Michael Mansur said Friday. The agency also established a hotline offering counseling, but Mansur didn’t immediately have information on how many called the hotline.

The Chiefs won their third Super Bowl in five years Sunday, beating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime. The two previous celebrations went off without any trouble.

On Wednesday, players rode double-decker red buses through Missouri’s largest city. The parade ended with a rally at the sprawling Union Station. It was just breaking up with shots erupted. Many people thought they were hearing fireworks. Eventually, some ducked for cover. Others leapt over barriers and sprinted, many carrying children.

Beyond the gunshot wounds, several people were treated at hospitals for injuries suffered amid the chaos. So many personal belongings were left behind that police set up a site for people to try and find what they lost.

Two men at the rally jumped on and detained someone with a gun, though police have not confirmed whether it was one of the people arrested.

Paul Contreras of Bellevue, Nebraska, said he heard a man yelling to stop someone and was able to tackle the person from behind. Contreras noticed that the person he tackled had a gun, he said, and he wasn’t sure if he might have another under a heavy jacket.

Soon, Contreras was joined by another man.

“We’re like, we got to keep him down until law enforcement gets there. Because as much as we’re fighting to keep him down, he’s fighting to get up,” Contreras, whose daughter captured it all on video, told The Associated Press.

The man who helped Contreras was Trey Filter. He was with his family when he heard yells of “get him.”

“We was like, ‘We got him,’” Filter, 40, of the Wichita, Kansas, area, told AP. “I’ll always remember that. And then they started screaming, ‘There’s a gun!’”

The gun fell near his wife, Casey Filter, who picked it up. By then, the fleeing person was under a dogpile.

The shooting occurred despite the presence of more than 800 police officers in the area, including on top of nearby structures, said Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended with his wife and mother and ran for safety when the shots were fired. But he doesn’t expect to cancel the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day parade.

“We have parades all the time. I don’t think they’ll end. Certainly we recognized the public safety challenges and issues that relate to them,” Lucas said.

Taylor Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, donated $100,000 to Lopez-Galvan’s family. Two $50,000 donations were posted Friday under the singer’s name on a GoFundMe page. Swift’s representative confirmed the donations to Variety, the trade publication reported, and The Associated Press independently verified the posts.

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

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

___

Salter reported from O’Fallon, Missouri, and McFetridge reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Trisha Ahmed in Minneapolis and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed.

United States News

Associated Press

Honeywell, one of the few remaining US industrial conglomerates, will split into three companies

Honeywell, one of the last remaining U.S. industrial conglomerates, will split into three independent companies, following in the footsteps of manufacturing giants like General Electric and Alcoa. The North Carolina company said Thursday that it will split off its automation and aerospace technologies businesses. There will now be three publicly listed companies including a previously […]

2 hours ago

Roger Krone, chief executive officer of Scouting America, describes the design of the organization'...

Associated Press

Boy Scouts see a small membership uptick after rebrand to Scouting America

IRVING, Texas (AP) — A historic rebrand of the Boy Scouts of America has been followed by a small uptick in young people joining what will now be called Scouting America, a welcoming sign as the organization tries to move past scandal and bankruptcy. The group will continue leaning into a broad message of inclusivity […]

2 hours ago

FILE - A general view shows the aftermath of a devastating wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, Aug. 22, 20...

Associated Press

What to know about what’s tying up a $4B settlement for Hawaii wildfire victims

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Thursday over insurance issues that are tying up a potential $4 billion settlement over Maui’s catastrophic 2023 wildfire, the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. The massive inferno decimated the historic town of Lahaina, killing more than 100 people, destroying thousands […]

7 hours ago

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown departs a press availability after a federal judge temporari...

Associated Press

What to know about the court cases over President Trump’s birthright citizenship order

SEATTLE (AP) — A federal judge who already questioned the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order is set to hear arguments Thursday over a longer-term pause of the directive, which aims to end citizenship for children born to parents not legally in the country. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle has […]

8 hours ago

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, right, and his girlfriend Nani Hinton, left, pet...

Associated Press

Kansas City Chiefs player becomes a coach to a mutt named Parsnip for the ‘Puppy Bowl’

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Before the Kansas City Chiefs made it to their third-straight Super Bowl berth, one player took to coaching a puppy for a different big game. Chiefs defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi and his girlfriend, Nani Hinton, visited The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City in October to coach Parsnip, a 4-month-old […]

8 hours ago

In this photograph provided by Kathyrn McKee, fellow hiker Beata LeLacheur climbs the Westside trai...

Associated Press

Freezing hikers stuck in waist-deep snow rescued during Mount Washington whiteout

The two friends had hiked New Hampshire’s challenging Mount Washington trail a month ago. They returned and did it again Sunday after trekking through neighboring peaks in the White Mountains. Both veteran hikers, the women were an hour behind schedule on their descent and losing daylight, but they had warm clothing, headlamps and other gear. […]

8 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Collins Comfort Masters

Collins Comfort Masters: Your go-to plumbing experts in Arizona

Collins Comfort Masters, a trusted name in HVAC, water and plumbing since 1985, is you go-to plumbers for the residents of Phoenix and the Valley.

...

Sanderson Ford

Sanderson Ford’s Operation Santa Claus: Spreading holiday cheer through pickleball

Phoenix, AZ – Sanderson Ford, a staple in the Arizona community, is once again gearing up for its annual Operation Santa Claus charity drive.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Why a Heating Tune-Up is Essential Before Winter

PHOENIX, AZ — With cooler weather on the horizon, making sure your heating system is prepped and ready can make all the difference in staying comfortable this winter.

2 juveniles charged in connection with shooting at Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally