Feb 15 (Reuters) – Kansas City, Missouri police on Thursday said a personal dispute, not extremism, was behind the deadly shooting that erupted a day earlier, following a rally to celebrate the city’s Super Bowl win.
The number of gunshot victims rose to 23, and their ages ranged from 8 to 47, police said in a briefing the day after the shooting. The death toll remained at one victim, identified as a beloved local radio personality.
Two juveniles and an adult were being held as suspects in the shooting, Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a press conference.
The violence erupted as “a dispute between several people” and there was no connection to terrorism or extremism.
“We have all intentions of presenting charges,” Graves said of the three suspects in custody. Their identities were not disclosed. In addition to the woman who was killed, at least 22 others suffered gunshot wounds on Wednesday outside the city’s landmark Union Station, authorities said. At least nine children were among those hit by bullets.
Children’s Mercy Hospital said it had treated nine kids who had been shot, and on Thursday said: “All of the victims we saw are expected to recover.” The hospital also treated two other kids injured but not shot at the rally, along with an adult.
Thousands of fans had gathered there with members of the Kansas City Chiefs to celebrate the team’s NFL championship triumph over the San Francisco 49ers.
The bloodshed came at the end of the rally following a parade, and it turned the festive occasion into a scene of panic. Throngs of attendees scrambled for cover at the sound of rapid-fire gunshots.
The Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, who will decide on filing criminal charges, wrote on social media on Thursday that “I will use every tool at my disposal under Missouri law that allows me to address this tragedy.”
Baker’s office said by phone that charges could come as early as Thursday afternoon, but provided no more details. Fifteen victims suffered life-threatening wounds, Fire Department Chief Ross Grundyson said at a late afternoon news conference.
None of the football team, their coaches, or other staff attending the rally was wounded, the Chiefs said.
Reporting by Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado, Rich McKay in Atlanta, and Brendan O’Brien in Chicago; Additional reporting by Steve Gorman, Daniel Trotta, Dan Whitcomb, and Kanishka Singh; Editing by David Gregorio
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