The Kansas City Police Department still has two teenagers in custody after Wednesday’s shooting at Union Station following the Chiefs parade and rally.
Nearly a full day after the shooting, the prosecutor’s office has not filed charges against the suspects, but a third juvenile was released after being detained Wednesday directly after the shooting, police said.
KCPD Chief Stacey Graves said police are working closely with the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office, but did not reveal additional information about the shooting.
"The two juveniles are currently being held in custody while we work with juvenile prosecutors to review investigative findings and determine applicable charges," a KCPD spokesperson said in a statement Thursday afternoon. "The juvenile court system determines the custody status of all juvenile arrests."
Graves said police recovered several firearms at the scene, but did not elaborate on the type of guns used in the shooting.
“I want to stress that preliminary investigative findings have shown there was no nexus to terrorism or homegrown violent extremism,” Graves said. “This appeared to be a dispute between several people that ended in gunfire.”
KCPD has now learned of 22 total victims from the shooting. Graves said the victims range in age from 8 to 47 years old. Half of the victims are under the age of 16.
The one confirmed fatality in the shooting was 43-year-old Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a radio DJ for local station KKFI and a mother of two.
Children’s Mercy Hospital is treating 11 children from the incident, nine of whom were shot. The hospital says its youngest patient is 6 years old. All of the children treated at the hospital are expected to recover and eight of the hospital’s 12 patients have been discharged.
Graves said investigators are still working to determine if anyone else was involved.
Law enforcement does not have any information on whether the shooting at Union Station and a reported shooting at 27th Street and Gilliam Road were related. However, Graves said the shooting that injured 23 people occurred at the west side of Union Station.
Mayor Quinton Lucas said he didn’t think the city will stop hosting parades or mass celebrations like the Chiefs rally. He said the city is still planning a St. Patrick’s Day parade next month.
“We’ve had parades like this before — we had one last year without this type of incident,” Lucas said. “There is a gun violence challenge in this community and many others. And there certainly is a gun violence challenge as it relates to major events. That, however, does not mean that Kansas City will stop having major events. We will do all we can to make sure people are safe.”
