The fatal shooting during the Kansas City Chiefs' victory parade, which left one person dead and nearly two dozen injured, was a result of a personal dispute that escalated into a violent incident. Law enforcement officials have reportedly taken three people into custody who are suspected to be involved in the incident, as announced on Thursday.
Two of the three currently detained are juveniles, Kansas City authorities revealed on Thursday. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves stressed that the assault on Wednesday afternoon near Union Station on the city's west side was unrelated to homegrown terrorism or violent extremism and the parade was not the target of the attackers involved.
Personal Dispute Leads to Chaos
Graves told reporters during a Thursday press conference that the shooting "appeared to be a dispute between several people that ended in gunfire." She added that two of the three detained suspects are juveniles. Graves said that the department has a 24-hour window to either press charges or release them.
She also said that the department questioned 10 people in the aftermath and more arrests are possible.
"We have subjects that are detained," Graves said. "We are working to determine the involvement of others, and it should be noted we have recovered several firearms ... This incident is still a very active investigation."
Authorities said that the more than two dozen victims of the incident ranged in age from 8 to 47, with at least half of them being under the age of 16.
The bullets fired injured 22 people, including nine children, and claimed the life of 43-year-old Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a devoted Chiefs fan and mother of two who reportedly succumbed to a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
"She was the most wonderful, beautiful person," Lisa Lopez, a longtime friend (of no relation) who works at the Kansas City Star told the newspaper.
Graves said police sympathize with the family and friends of Lopez-Galvan, saying that the police are "working tirelessly to investigate her murder."
Ross Grundyson, the chief of the city fire department, said that eight of the wounded were in critical condition when first responders arrived at the scene.
All the critically injured patients were transported to hospitals within less than 10 minutes after being located, according to Grundyson.
Ending in Terror
The mass shooting marred what had otherwise been a festive celebration commemorating the Kansas City Chiefs' recent Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Hundreds of thousands of people attended the parade until the gunfire erupted, prompting panicked crowds to scatter and seek cover.
In a video circulating on social media, a hero Chiefs fan is seen running down and tackling a person, believed to be a gunman, before law enforcement took them into custody.
On Thursday, Graves commended the civilians who helped police during the chaotic situation. "They helped one another and even physically stopped a person who was believed to be involved," Graves said. "Your selfless act did not go unnoticed."
Police are currently investigating how the attackers knew each other and whether Wednesday's shooting is linked to previous crimes in the area, Graves added.
"We want to make sure that anyone who was responsible for yesterday is brought to justice," Graves said.
Footage of the chaos showed revelers running for safety, with several injured people being carried out on stretchers. In a video obtained by TMZ, one victim is seen lying on the ground in a pool of blood, with people performing chest compressions in an attempt to help the person.
