Police – Shooting at Chiefs parade appears to stem from dispute

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Authorities in Kansas City said Thursday that the mass shooting that left one person dead and 22 injured during the Chiefs' Super Bowl celebration appeared to stem from a dispute between several people.

Police Chief Stacey Graves said Thursday the total number of victims was 23, including Lisa Lopez-Galvan, who was killed in the shooting. Graves said the 22 people injured in the shooting ranged in age from 8 to 47, and half of the injured were under 16.

Fire Chief Ross Grundyson said eight of the victims were seriously injured and seven were in serious condition.

An adult who had been arrested was released, police spokeswoman Alayna Gonzalez told several media outlets on Thursday. This leaves two juveniles detained.

“Both juveniles are currently in custody while we work with juvenile prosecutors to review the results of the investigation and determine applicable charges,” Gonzalez said.

Investigators are calling on witnesses, people with cellphone images and victims of the violence to call a dedicated hotline.

“We are working to determine the involvement of other individuals. And it should be noted that we have recovered several firearms. This incident remains under very active investigation,” Graves said at a conference Press.

The Valentine's Day shooting outside Union Station happened despite the presence of more than 800 police officers who were in and near the building, including on top of nearby structures, Mayor Quinton said Lucas, who was present with his wife and mother, ran to safety when the shots rang out. Lucas said he doesn't expect to cancel the upcoming St. Patrick's Day parade.

“We have parades all the time. I don't think they'll end. We've certainly recognized the challenges and the public safety issues that come with it,” Lucas said.

People lined the parade route before the shooting, with fans climbing trees and street poles or standing on rooftops for a better view. Players rode through the crowds on double-decker buses as DJs and drummers announced their arrival.

The police chief said the gun violence mainly took place on the west side of Union Station, responding to initial reports that shootings occurred at several locations.

Graves said a million people likely would have attended the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade, which took place in a city of about 470,000 and a metro area of ​​about 2 million, but she stressed that the violence was the work of only a handful of people.

“The response from law enforcement was exemplary. Those present responded as well,” Graves added. “They help each other and even physically [stopped] a person suspected of being involved in the incident.

Witnesses described confusion when gunshots began, sounding to some like fireworks.

Some people didn't run at first, but others immediately sought shelter. The rally music initially continued to play despite the devastation. And then, moments after the shooting stopped, some people were walking as if nothing had happened.

Social media users posted video of police running through the crowded scene on Wednesday as people rushed for cover and escape. One video showed someone apparently performing chest compressions on one person while someone else, apparently writhing in pain, lay on the ground nearby. People were shouting in the background.

Another video showed two people chasing and tackling a person, holding them to the ground until two police officers arrived. In an interview Thursday with ABC's “Good Morning America,” Trey Filter of Wichita, Kansas, said he saw someone being chased and took action.

“I couldn't see much. I heard, 'Catch them!' “I saw a flash next to me. And I remember jumping up and thinking, 'I hope it's that idiot they were talking about,'” he said. “They started yelling, 'There's has a weapon! There's a weapon!'”

Filter said he and another man kept the person pinned down until officers arrived. “I remember the police took me off my feet, and at that point I was just looking for my wife and kids,” he said.

It was not immediately clear whether the person Trey Filter was holding down was involved in the shooting, but Filter's wife, Casey, saw a gun nearby and picked it up.

The woman killed in the shooting was identified Wednesday by radio station KKFI-FM as Lopez-Galvan, a host of “Taste of Tejano.”

Lopez-Galvan, whose DJ name was “Lisa G,” was an outgoing and devoted mother of two from a prominent Latino family in the area, said Rosa Izurieta and Martha Ramirez, two childhood friends who worked with her in a personnel placement company.

Leslie Carto, university health spokeswoman, said two of the eight shooting victims brought to the hospital were still in critical condition. One is in stable condition. The other five were released. The hospital also treated four people attending the rally who were not shot. Three of those patients have been released, Carto said.

At a news conference Thursday, Dr. Dustin Neel said the first critical patient to arrive had injuries that are typically 90 percent fatal, but received treatment quickly enough to survive.

Stephanie Meyer, chief nursing officer at Children's Mercy Kansas City, said the hospital treated 12 patients from the gathering, including 11 children ages 6 to 15, nine of whom had gunshot wounds. All are expected to recover, she said.

She told a news conference Thursday that only three patients remained in the hospital.

Meyer said the children are scared and will need mental health support. Hospital staff are also struggling.

“They are struggling just like you and me, and they are incredibly heartbroken that this happened in our backyard,” said Dr. Stephanie Burrus, the hospital’s wellness manager. “And we're all training for this, we're all ready to take care of these kids. But that doesn't negate the fact that it's still not normal for people to see many, many people with gunshot wounds.”

St. Luke's Hospital spokeswoman Emily Hohenberg said a shooting victim at the hospital remains in critical condition. Four people injured while fleeing after the shooting were treated and released.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.