2 teenagers charged in Kansas City parade shooting; terrorism not suspected
Authorities have charged two teenagers for their alleged involvement in the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII victory parade that killed one person and wounded 22 others.
In an update Thursday, the Kansas City Missouri Police Department stated that “we have two subjects detained and they are juveniles” and that they “are working to determine the involvement of others.”
Additionally, they have preliminarily concluded that “there was no nexus to terrorism or violent extremism” that inspired the shooting. Rather, it was “a dispute between several people that ended in gunfire.”
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Authorities also identified the lone fatality as 43-year-old Elizabeth Galvan, also known as Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a mother of two and a radio station disc jockey at KKFI 90.1 FM.
According to police, the 22 wounded individuals ranged in age from 8 years old to 47, with nearly half of the victims being younger than 16.
Chief of Police Stacey Graves was quoted in the update as saying that law enforcement’s response to the shooting “was exemplary,” as was the response by private citizens.
“Those in attendance also responded, helped one another and even physically stopped a person believed to be involved in the incident,” said Graves.
“I want to thank the people who acted bravely yesterday alongside law enforcement. Your selfless act did not go unnoticed. Thank you, Kansas City. I am angered by what occurred in our city yesterday, but I am thankful for the response.”
A third juvenile had been taken into custody in response to the shooting, according to ABC affiliate KMBC News, however, that individual was later released.
On Wednesday, as a celebration of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory was winding down in Kansas City, shots were fired by at least one individual amid the crowd at Union Station.
In a press conference held hours after the shooting, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said "many people have been touched by this incident" and called for prayers for the victims.
"Today was tragic for everyone who was part of it," said Lucas. "We became part of a statistic of too many Americans: those who have experienced or been part of or connected to a mass shooting."
"I continue to commend our police officers, our firefighters, and others who were there to respond instantly. But we also need to figure out a way to make sure that things like this stop happening in our country."
