How fans took on a gunman at Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade in the US

Yet another day in the United States and yet another mass shooting – 48th in the year. This time, the celebration by fans of the American football team Kansas City Chiefs after their second consecutive Super Bowl victory turned into chaos on Wednesday. As the parade was winding down, gunshots rang out. Gunmen were on the loose. One person died and more than 20, including nine children, were wounded in the shooting in Kansas City, Missouri. An estimated one million people had gathered in downtown Kansas City for the rally. Players were still on the stage celebrating their big win when the shooting started. But the heroes of the day turned out to be a couple of fans, who reportedly tackled one of the gunmen. We take a look at how the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory rally unfolded and what happened next. What happened at the victory parade in Kansas City? The streets of Kansas City turned into a sea of red, as hundreds and thousands of fans gathered to join the victory parade of the Chiefs on Wednesday. Players gave speeches and fans cheered on. The rally was nearing its end when gunshots filled the air. People were shocked and in panic, began to run helter-skelter. The shooting outside Union Station happened despite more than 800 police officers who were in the building and around the area, including on top of nearby buildings, said Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended with his wife and mother and had to run for cover when gunfire broke out, reports The Associated Press (AP). Also read: Why are more adolescents picking up guns in the US? Lisa Money, a resident of the city, was trying to gather some confetti near the end of the parade when she heard somebody yell, “Down, down, everybody down!” At first, Money thought somebody might be joking until she saw the SWAT team jumping over the fence. “I can’t believe it really happened. Who in their right mind would do something like this? This is supposed to be a day of celebration for everybody in the city and the surrounding area. And then you’ve got some idiot that wants to come along and do something like this,” she said. Kevin Sanders, 53, of Lenexa, Kansas, said he heard what sounded like firecrackers and then people started running. After that initial flurry, calm returned, and he didn’t think much of it. But 10 minutes later, ambulances started showing up. “It sucks that someone had to ruin the celebration, but we are in a big city,” Sanders told AP. [caption id=“attachment_13730532” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Police clear the area following a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs celebration. One person died and more than 20 people were injured in the mass shooting. AP[/caption] Did fans stop a shooter? In a rather brave response, a couple of spectators were seen chasing and then tackling a gunman who allegedly opened fire at the victory parade. In a video, which has now gone viral, Kansas City Chiefs fans were seen leaping on the suspect. They dragged him to the ground, as most people were fleeing to safety. A woman can also be seen picking up a gun, as the alleged shooter was overpowered

Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said that she had heard that fans may have been involved in apprehending a suspect but couldn’t immediately confirm that. Investigators are reportedly reviewing the video of the incident. One of the fans who tackled the alleged suspect with the weapon was identified as Paul Contreras by CNN. “It’s just a reaction,” he said. He described hitting the individual from behind and knocking the gun out of their possession. Contreras and another person who was attending the celebrations tackled the gunman to the ground and waited for police to show up and take over, according to CNN. “He was fighting the whole time… And we were fighting him to keep him down,” he said about the incident. Alyssa Marsh Contreras, Contreras’s daughter, who shot the video of the incident, told CNN, “It all happened so fast… I didn’t want to leave my dad’s side because who knew what could’ve happened or if they needed help.” [caption id=“attachment_13730572” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A person is taken to an ambulance following a shooting at the victory parade. AP[/caption] Who are the alleged shooters? The Kansas City police have detained three people after the mass shooting. Authorities are yet to determine if one of the detained individuals is the same person tackled by fans. Graves said that firearms were recovered following the incident. “We have recovered firearms. I don’t have a number for you or a calibre. We have recovered firearms,” the police chief said during a news conference. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has set up a website for tips or videos from the parade shooting in Kansas City. “FBI and KCPD are requesting any videos from the Super Bowl shooting and any video of shooters attempting to flee the scene,” the website says. [caption id=“attachment_13730582” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Fans watch as the Kansas City Chiefs celebrate during their victory rally at Union Station in Kansas City. An estimated 1 million people were in downtown Kansas City, according to CNN. AP[/caption] What do we know about the victims? Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a radio DJ from the Kansas City area, died in the shooting. Multiple members of her family were reportedly injured. KKFI radio 90.1 FM, Lisa’s employer, said in a statement, “It is with sincere sadness and an extremely heavy and broken heart that we let our community know that KKFI DJ Lisa Lopez, host of Taste of Tejano lost her life.” The victim’s bio on the station’s website said she thought music “is Iife and a source of happiness”. She worked as a bilingual private DJ for over 15 years before becoming a co-host of the show “Taste of Tejano” in March 2022, reports CNN. Also read: Kansas City Chiefs players, coaches and staffers are safe and accounted for after parade shooting At least 29 people were being treated for injuries, including children. Several of them had life-threatening injuries. Kansas City has long struggled with gun violence, and in 2020 it was among nine cities targeted by the US Justice Department to crack down on violent crime. In 2023, the city matched a record with 182 homicides, most of which involved guns. With inputs from agencies