It was supposed to be an exuberant celebration for the winners of this year’s Super Bowl in the USA, but the festival ended in chaos and violence. On the sidelines of a parade in honor of the American football team Kansas City Chiefs, at least one person was killed and more than 20 others were injured by gunfire in the state of Missouri on Wednesday. It was initially unclear whether the incident was connected to the victory parade itself. What is clear, however, is that the fear of gun violence – of whatever kind – is a constant companion for many Americans at large events.
Thousands of people gathered in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday to celebrate their city’s football team – and its fourth Super Bowl title. Players and coaches traveled in the parade on a red double-decker bus. Fans in red jerseys lined the streets and flocked to a rally in front of a train station at the end. And just as the rally was over, shots were fired near the station building, according to police. Chaotic scenes followed.
Television footage and video clips show people running in panic or throwing themselves to the ground while police with body armor and guns drawn made their way through the crowds. A young man who was with friends at the parade told the local newspaper The Kansas City Star that when he heard the shots, he jumped over a barrier to get to safety. “All that was going through my mind was: Are my friends dead or not?”
What exactly happened was initially completely unclear. The city’s police chief, Stacey Graves, said three people had been arrested and were under investigation. However, the background to the crime is open. “We don’t have a motive at the moment.” It would be possible that the victory celebration itself was not the goal of the violence, but merely the setting – perhaps for a different kind of confrontation that got out of control.
According to authorities, several people were seriously injured by gunfire. The police and fire department did not provide any information about the age of the victims, but emphasized that several injured people were taken to a hospital for children and adolescents. Since many schools remained closed for the day, there were also many children and teenagers among the fans at the celebrations.
The NFL football league expressed dismay at the dramatic incident, as did the Kansas City Chiefs. The football club announced on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that all players, coaches, employees and their families were safe. The club further wrote: “We are deeply saddened by the senseless act of violence.”
Gun violence is devastating in the United States. Deadly shootings and gun rampages are sadly part of everyday life. Firearms are easily available there and are widely circulated. Attacks with many victims regularly shock the country – for example at schools, supermarkets, nightclubs or at large events. But private disputes, police checks, disputes between criminals or gangs also end fatally far more often than in other countries because many people in the USA carry weapons with them.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said more than 800 police officers were deployed during the Super Bowl celebrations. And yet the shots still happened. “Parades, rallies, schools, films – almost nothing seems safe anymore,” he lamented. “I don’t want us to have to do that in our country: fearing that you will be shot at every major event.”
US President Joe Biden also expressed his dismay and anger at the never-ending gun violence in the country. “Today’s events should move us, shock us and force us to act,” the Democrat warned in a written statement. “We are a country where people should have the right to go to school, go to church, walk in the streets – and attend a Super Bowl celebration – without fear of losing their lives to lose to gun violence.”
