Two men were charged with murder in connection with a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl parade; Prosecutors said the charges against the two men are in addition to the arrest of the juveniles, and that more charges are possible.
Tuesday 20 February 2024 23:05, UK
Two men have been charged with murder after last week's shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl parade left one person dead and injured 22 others, Missouri prosecutors have confirmed.
Dominic Miller and Lyndell Mays are charged with second-degree murder and other counts. They have been hospitalized since the shooting, Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said during a news conference.
Officials declined to answer whether the men were being treated for gunshot wounds or other injuries, with court records laying out a basic view of how the shooting unfolded.
The men did not know each other before the shooting, according to prosecutors. They were among several people arguing when Mays "pulled his handgun first almost immediately" and several others did the same, Peters Baker said.
Police say it was Miller's gun that fired the shot that killed a woman.
Online court records did not list attorneys who could comment on the men's behalf. The Missouri State Public Defender's Office said applications for public defenders for the men had not yet been received by the Kansas City office.
The new charges come after two juveniles, who have not been named, were detained last week on gun-related and resisting arrest charges. Authorities said more charges were possible.
"I do want you to understand - we seek to hold every shooter accountable for their actions on that day. Every single one," Baker said. "So while we're not there yet on every single individual, we're going to get there."
Police have said a dispute among several people led to the shooting, which happened even as 800 police officers patrolled the celebration.
The 22 people who were injured range in ages from 8 to 47, according to police Chief Stacey Graves. Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a mother of two and the host of "Taste of Tejano," was killed.
The parade was celebrating the Chiefs' win over the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22 in overtime.
The shooting was the latest at a sports celebration in the USA, with several people wounded last year in Denver after the Nuggets' NBA championship, leading Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas to wonder whether it is time to rethink championship celebrations.
Lucas promised last week that the city will continue to celebrate its victories and has said next month's St. Patrick's Day parade will go on as scheduled.
The Kansas City shooting occurred in a state with few gun regulations and a city that has struggled with gun violence.
In 2020, Kansas City was among nine cities chosen by the US Justice Department in an effort to crack down on violent crime. In 2023, the city matched its record with 182 homicides, most of which involved guns.
On Monday, Missouri's Republican-led House on a bipartisan vote passed a ban on celebratory gunfire in cities following debate that ranged from tearful to angry.
A similar measure was passed last year as part of a sweeping crime-related bill, but GOP Gov. Mike Parson vetoed the legislation. He cited issues with other crime provisions in the bill unrelated to celebratory gunfire.
