Multiple individuals were injured as gunshots erupted at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory rally on Wednesday, causing fear among the massive throng gathered to celebrate their team’s victory.
According to Kansas City police, two armed persons were arrested following the gunshot at Union Station, just yards from where Chiefs players had addressed applauding fans moments before.
“Anyone nearby should leave the area as soon as possible to allow for treatment of the shooting victims,” local police warned on X, formerly Twitter.
Fans hurried to flee the situation as police sought to clear Union Station, bringing a nasty finish to the Chiefs’ euphoric victory parade.
Earlier, hundreds of thousands of red-clad fans greeted Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his teammates as they rode a procession of double-decker buses along a two-mile (three-kilometer) route, surrounded by a storm of red and gold confetti.
Mahomes, who was once clutching a can of beer and the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and many Chiefs players disembarked the buses, high-fived, and took photographs with fans, many of whom began lining up before sunrise to secure excellent viewing positions.
Huge crowds
According to local media, more than one million people were expected to attend the parade, which took place in downtown Kansas City on an unusually sunny and warm day.
The Chiefs were enjoying their third Super Bowl win in five seasons after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in overtime in Las Vegas on Sunday, cementing their dynasty status.
But the team’s most famous supporter, music sensation Taylor Swift, who is dating Chiefs legend Travis Kelce, did not attend the festivities.
The singer, whose relationship with Kelce has become a cultural phenomenon this season, returned to the United States on Saturday after the current leg of her lucrative globe tour to watch the Super Bowl in ‘Sin City’.
However, as Kelce and the Chiefs celebrated on Wednesday, Swift was apparently on her way to Australia, where she is scheduled to perform in Melbourne on Friday.
The flamboyant Kelce went on stage with his teammates at the victory rally, wobbling on his feet.
Teammates appeared to prop Kelce up as he attempted to sing a cover of Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places.”
At one point, Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr. was caught lying down on the ground, holding what seemed to be a bottle of Hennessy cognac.
Running back Isiah Pacheco also jogged down the parade path, bearing a young goat dressed in a Mahomes jersey.