Tragedy struck Kansas City, Missouri, just hours after the Chiefs defeated the Tennessee Titans to secure a place in Super Bowl LIV. A gunman opened fire on people waiting in a line outside a bar, killing two and injuring 15 more.
The New York Daily News reported that the shooter, according to police, was one of those who died at the scene. The shooting occurred around 11:30 p.m. outside 9ine Ultra Lounge
“He killed a woman and wounded 15 other people, three of whom were in critical condition, which was hosting a party to celebrate the Chief’s return to the Super Bowl (the team hasn’t made an appearance in 50 years) before he was shot by an armed security guard, the city’s police Capt. David Jackson told reporters at the scene,” the outlet reported.
Jackson also said that police found “quite a chaotic scene” after they arrived and asked for assistance from other law enforcement agencies.
“A preliminary investigation found that the gunman approached the line of people outside the bar and started shooting, but police are still investigating whether he was targeting a specific person or just randomly opened fire, Jackson said. It was also not clear if there was an altercation prior to the shooting,” the Daily news reported.
In addition to the deaths, 15 people reportedly sought medical attention from area hospitals due to the shooting. KSHB reported that three of the victims are listed in critical condition. The outlet also reported that an armed security guard working at the club apparently shot and killed the suspect. ABC News reported that no responding officers fired their weapons.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker told reporters at the time that the shooting put “a tragic end to such a wonderful day in Kansas City.”
“It’s just hard to stand here and talk about this kind of tragedy on really one of the best days Kansas City has had in a long time,” she added.
Police still don’t know why the gunman opened fire. The Kansas City Police Department released a statement saying the “next anticipated information release will most likely be the ID of deceased victims once the next of kin have been notified.”
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas praised the security guard who took out the gunman, saying he, “appears to have kept the situation from being even worse.”
The shooting occurred alongside attacks in Honolulu, Hawaii and San Antonio, Texas. In total, six people were killed in the three shootings. In Honolulu, two police officers – Tiffany Enriquez and Kaulike Kalama – were killed after responding to a stabbing. The officers were shot while they helped a woman who had been stabbed in the leg, NBC News reported. The home where the incident occurred caught fire after the stabbing. The suspect, identified as Jerry Hanel, and two other women who were in the home at the time have all been accounted for.
In San Antonio, an argument inside a club during a concert led to a shooting that killed two people and injured five others.