Two juveniles were charged with crimes connected to the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs鈥� , authorities said Friday, as the city tries to recover in the aftermath of the violence.
A news release from the Jackson County Family Court said the juveniles were charged Thursday and are being detained in the county鈥檚 Juvenile Detention Center 鈥渙n gun-related and resisting arrest charges.鈥� The release said it is 鈥渁nticipated that additional charges are expected in the future as the investigation by the Kansas City Police Department continues.鈥�
No further information was released. Defendants age 17 and under in Missouri are typically adjudicated through the juvenile system, which is far more private than the system for adults. Names of the accused are not released, nor are police documents such as probable cause statements.
In cases involving serious crimes such as murder, juveniles as young as 12 can be certified for trial as adults, said Lynn Urban, a professor who chairs the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department at the University of Central Missouri.
Federal law prohibits the death penalty for anyone under age 18 at the time of the crime.
Police initially detained three juveniles but released one who they determined wasn鈥檛 involved in the shooting. Police are looking for others who may have been involved and are calling for witnesses, victims and people with cellphone video of the violence to call a dedicated hotline.
Meanwhile, Kansas Citians are turning to religious gathers, vigils and counseling to try to cope with the horror of what happened.
A mother and popular disc jockey died in the Wednesday as the parade and rally were concluding, and 22 others 鈥� more than half of them children 鈥� were injured. By Friday, two people remained in critical condition and one was in serious condition. Most of the injured children were out of the hospital and expected to recover.
But the emotional recovery is only just beginning in a community horrified that two juveniles could cause such trauma. Police believe a led to the shooting.
The was identified by radio station KKFI-FM as Lisa Lopez-Galvan, host of 鈥淭aste of Tejano.鈥� On Friday, a family friend, Katrina Rojas Vincent, said she could feel Lopez-Galvan鈥檚 presence as she stood near the shooting site.
鈥淗er spirit will always be here welcoming people back to this location, to not be afraid to not have any fear, to enjoy yourself and live your life,鈥� Vincent said.
She described Lopez-Galvan as a vibrant, giving person.
鈥淎lways had that a smile ear to ear and just the positivity that she brought to our community with the music that she would play鈥� on her radio program, Vincent said.
The Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney鈥檚 Office set up in-person counseling for the traumatized. Twelve people attended Thursday, including two children, spokesman Michael Mansur said Friday. The agency also established a hotline offering counseling, but Mansur didn鈥檛 immediately have information on how many called the hotline.
The Chiefs Sunday, beating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime. The two previous celebrations went off without any trouble.
On Wednesday, players rode double-decker red buses through Missouri鈥檚 largest city. The parade ended with a rally at the sprawling Union Station. It was just breaking up with shots erupted. Many people thought they were hearing fireworks. Eventually, some ducked for cover. Others leapt over barriers and sprinted, many carrying children.
Beyond the gunshot wounds, several people were treated at hospitals for injuries suffered amid the chaos. So many personal belongings were left behind that police set up a site for people to try and find what they lost.
Two men at the rally jumped on and detained someone with a gun, though police have not confirmed whether it was one of the people arrested.
Paul Contreras of Bellevue, Nebraska, said he heard a man yelling to stop someone and was able to tackle the person from behind. Contreras noticed that the person he tackled had a gun, he said, and he wasn鈥檛 sure if he might have another under a heavy jacket.
Soon, Contreras was joined by another man.
鈥淲e鈥檙e like, we got to keep him down until law enforcement gets there. Because as much as we鈥檙e fighting to keep him down, he鈥檚 fighting to get up,鈥� Contreras, whose daughter captured it all on video, told The Associated Press.
The man who helped Contreras was . He was with his family when he heard yells of 鈥済et him.鈥�
鈥淲e was like, 鈥榃e got him,鈥欌�� Filter, 40, of the Wichita, Kansas, area, told AP. 鈥淚鈥檒l always remember that. And then they started screaming, 鈥楾here鈥檚 a gun!鈥欌��
The gun fell near his wife, Casey Filter, who picked it up. By then, the fleeing person was under a dogpile.
The shooting occurred despite the presence of more than 800 police officers in the area, including on top of nearby structures, said Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended with his wife and mother and ran for safety when the shots were fired. But he doesn鈥檛 expect to cancel the upcoming St. Patrick鈥檚 Day parade.
鈥淲e have parades all the time. I don鈥檛 think they鈥檒l end. Certainly we recognized the and issues that relate to them,鈥� Lucas said.
, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, donated $100,000 to Lopez-Galvan鈥檚 family. Two $50,000 donations were posted Friday under the singer鈥檚 name on a GoFundMe page. Swift鈥檚 representative confirmed the donations the trade publication reported, and The Associated Press independently verified the posts.
Kansas City has long struggled with gun violence, and in 2020 it was targeted by the U.S. Justice Department in an effort to crack down on violent crime. In 2023, the city matched a record with 182 homicides, most of which involved guns.
Lucas has joined with mayors across the country in calling for new laws to reduce gun violence, including mandating universal background checks.
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