Kansas City shooting: Two teenagers facing weapons charges with more charges expected
Two teenagers detained after Wednesday’s Super Bowl parade shooting in Kansas City have been officially charged.
The Jackson County Family Court Division said Friday that the two unidentified juveniles had been charged with counts relating to gun possession and resisting arrest. The court also said that “additional charges are expected in the future as the investigation by the Kansas City Police Department continues.”
One woman, Elizabeth Galvan, was killed and over 20 people were wounded by gunfire minutes after the Chiefs parade rally ended. Half of the wounded were kids ages 16 and under and the youngest victim is 8 years old. Children's Mercy Hospital has said that all nine of its patients with gunshot wounds are expected to recover.
Kansas City police have said the shooting stemmed from a dispute and was not related to terrorism.
Per Missouri law, adults detained after an incident must be charged within 24 hours or they have to be released. Since the teenagers are juveniles, Missouri law allowed them to stay in detention through Thursday afternoon due to a court order. Thursday, the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office said the two teens would be tried as adults if and when they were certified to stand trial.
If the teenagers are allowed to be charged as adults, the case will be moved from the family court's purview to the prosecutor's office.
“We regularly work with juvenile court officers on cases and owe have worked with them on this case as well,” a statement from Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said. “Though we do not oversee or supervise the juvenile officers, we work closely with them. We expect to be at future hearings regarding these individuals who were charged [Friday] in Family Court. We will continue to work closely with all authorities as the investigation continues. We are grateful for the collaboration and partnership with these juvenile officers.”
Police have blanketed the Kansas City area with communication asking for information from potential witnesses and have set up a tip line specifically for Wednesday's incident, while the FBI is asking for photos and videos from people who were in the area at the time of the shooting.
The shooting happened on the southwest side of Union Station in an area where thousands of people had gathered. The Chiefs celebrated their third Super Bowl victory in five seasons on a stage in front of the train station after the parade and fans had gathered in the area for hours ahead of the rally.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Galvan's family and Taylor Swift has donated $100,000 to the fundraiser. Galvan's two daughters were among the wounded in the shooting. Galvan, 43, was a DJ for a Kansas City radio station.
