Kansas City Democratic Mayor Quinton Lucas blamed guns for Wednesday afternoon's mass shooting at a Super Bowl rally after being pressed by a reporter about the heavy police presence at the parade. .
Lucas attended a subsequent press conference to discuss the latest information regarding the shooting at a rally celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs' victory in the Super Bowl last weekend. A shooting at the end of a parade in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, left at least one person dead and more than 20 injured. (Related: Up to 15 injured in shooting near Chiefs' Super Bowl parade: Report)
During a press conference after the incident, one reporter pointed out to Lucas that “more than 800 police officers” had been sent to the celebration, but there were still injuries. Kansas City's mayor said he won't get into the “big debate” but that it's “what happens with guns” and that no matter how much security the city prepares, there's still a “risk to people.” emphasized.
“More than 800 police officers were deployed to the parade and outside Union Station, yet 22 people were shot dead in the blink of an eye,” the reporter said.
“I mean, that's what happens with guns. It's not a huge discussion right now. I think it's still under investigation, but what you've seen is why people talk about guns so often. “I did,” Lucas said. Around Union Station today. We had security everywhere, on top of buildings and beyond. – and There are still risks to people. I think that's something that all of us as parents, and all of us as normal human beings living every day, need to decide what we want to do about it. ”
“Parades, rallies, schools, movies – “There appears to be very little that is safe and we had hundreds of law enforcement officers working hard today,” Lucas added. “I would like to echo the words of the chief who was running towards danger, but those who try to disrupt something, those who try to create all kinds of situations, or those who are just reckless cannot be changed in a matter of seconds. ” You only have one or two lives, but you have almost 24. That was really shocking to me and as a parent I get very worried when I think about it today. ”
Ahead of the parade, Kansas City officials increased security measures in preparation for welcoming thousands of fans to the city to celebrate. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves announced Monday that the department will have more than 600 officers on the scene, along with 250 other officers from about 34 state and federal agencies, The Kansas City Star reported. reported. report.
