*(CNN) — At least 10 people have been shot and two armed individuals are in custody after a shooting that took place at the end of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade.
“Anyone nearby needs to leave the area as quickly and safely as possible to facilitate treatment of the shooting victims. Please avoid the Union Station parking garage area to allow first responders through,” police said.
An estimated 1 million people were in downtown Kansas City on Wednesday celebrating their team’s back-to-back championship, and the area where the shooting took place was steps away from where the Chiefs held a pep rally for thousands of fans after the parade took place.
It’s a heartbreaking end to what had been a raucous day of celebration for Chiefs fans, including many children as school districts in the Kansas City metro area had canceled classes to allow students to attend.
Breaking Video of Heroic Kansas City fans tackling one of the shooters pic.twitter.com/cAxL9Kox8d
— Fantasy Fanatics (@FFB_Fanatics) February 14, 2024
At the end of the #ChiefsParade, shots were fired west of Union Station near the garage and several people struck.
KCPD needs people to exit the area as quickly and safely as possible and avoid the parking garage in order to facilitate treatment of shooting victims.
Two… pic.twitter.com/YInzZKNzUM— Sc🚫tt (@RandomHeroWX) February 14, 2024
Players were still on the stage of the pep rally when the shooting took place, mingling with each other after it had ended. While some people had begun filtering out of the area, it was still packed with fans – who began to flee in fear after the sound of the shots.
Police say two armed individuals were taken into custody following the shooting. There were no additional details immediately released on Wednesday afternoon.
A celebration marred
The day had started joyously as an estimated 1 million people headed to the city to take part in the celebrations.
It started with Chiefs players crowded on double-decker buses, waving to fans as they rolled through the city. Star tight end Travis Kelce was spotted on the same bus as Mahomes but it did not appear that his girlfriend, megastar musician Taylor Swift, was able to make the trip. Swift has tour dates in Australia this weekend.
It didn’t take long for some players to leave their rides to walk the parade route, high-fiving fans and some even handing out a few libations to people who had been waiting throughout the morning to cheer on the Chiefs.
A pep rally following the parade featured several players toasting the team’s connection with the city – statements made all the more poignant in the aftermath as people fled in fear.
“Everything we did this year was because of you guys,” said Chris Jones, the team’s standout defensive lineman.
“Chiefs Kingdom, y’all are the reason we do what we do,” Mahomes said.
The Chiefs have cemented themselves as the NFL’s latest dynasty with this latest championship victory. Mahomes, who at 28 years of age has already made a claim to the title of greatest quarterback ever, ran along the parade route with his arms outstretched – a similar pose to the one he made after tossing the winning touchdown in overtime on Sunday.
Mahomes certainly enjoyed last year’s parade, too, at one point handing a fan the Lombardi Trophy and then apparently forgetting about it as he walked away. Chiefs owner Clark Hunt held onto the trophy this year, keeping it aboard his double-decker bus and away from the grasp of his quarterback – and any fans with whom he might have left it.
Championship parades are often a time for players to let loose and blow off steam as they revel in their victory ahead of the offseason. In a virtual news conference on Tuesday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters it has been “mentioned a couple of times” to his players not to go too overboard with the celebrations.
“It’s great to have fun but be smart,” he added.
Joe Hennessy, a reporter for local station KCTV, posted a video on X of Chiefs fans arriving at the parade route at 4 a.m. to secure their places at the front.
“Chiefs fans are built different!” he wrote.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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