ANJALI DALAL-WHELAN / NEWS EDITOR

Last week, Kansas City, Missouri’s Super Bowl celebrations took a shocking turn. The city was celebrating the Chiefs’  recent Super Bowl victory with a parade ending in a rally in downtown Kansas City when a shooting broke out on Feb. 14. According to CNN, the shooting left one mother of two children dead and injured over 20 others, including children. 

As of Feb. 20, four people have been charged in relation to the shooting.  Two juveniles were charged  with    gun-related  charges and resisting arrest.  Because the people of interest are under 17, their identities must remain private. On Tuesday, two adult men were charged with murder and other  felony   related charges.

USD sophomore and Kansas City native Sofia Aguyo shared her reaction to hearing about the shooting. 

“When I first saw the news notification on my phone, I was completely shocked that a shooting could happen at such a large  celebration, where  I knew so many  people that were there. I had been seeing social media stories  of tons of people that I know from  high school that were at the parade that day and was worried about their safety,” she said.  “I was   fortunate   and relieved that none of my family members went to the parade, although my dad was in the downtown area when it happened.”

Aguyo also shared the experience of one of her friends, who was present during  the incident. 

“One of my best friends was at the parade, and she told me it was a really confusing experience because everyone thought the gunshots   were  initially fireworks, because they happened right after the celebration was over.   She said they  didn’t have any service, and it   took     awhile     to put together what was happening which  was  really scary for her to not  know what was even happening or where to go from there.”

USD junior Olivia Akers is also from Kansas City and had a connection to the woman who was killed     in the shooting. Akers shared   her  emotions on the subject. 

“I  am  grateful to say none of my   friends  or family were harmed, however one of my best friends knows the family whose mother was shot and killed,” she said. “Even though I don’t know this family, hearing about their loss made me  grieve for them. I feel like it goes to show that everyone in the  Chiefs community has been impacted by this terrible event. My hope is that as a community we can rebuild our trust in one another and work together to ensure we can safely celebrate together again in the future.”

The weekend following the shooting, hundreds of people rallied  to call on lawmakers to pass stricter gun laws in Missouri, as Kansas City’s public radio station  KCUR reported.   However, according to KCUR, it is almost impossible for Kansas City to pass gun  reform because, “Kansas City is handcuffed on gun safety initiatives by a  longstanding  Missouri law, known as preemption, that prevents any county, city or municipality from passing legislation regulating the sale, purchase, transfer, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permit and registration of firearms.”

USD first-year and Kansas City resident Carol Reffett shared her view on gun restrictions following the shooting. 

“I definitely think that there should be a lot more gun restrictions because it’s just so easy to get [a gun] and bring it into a space like that. It’s scary,” Reffett said. 

KCUR reported that all 12 children who were taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital after the shooting were released. Several other victims remain in the hospital. 

According to Today, Chiefs team members have shown support to victims through social media, by visiting hospitals and donating money. 

While Kansas City is the latest location to be affected, the debate over gun violence continues. in the United States rages on.

After the shooting, people in Kansas City have come together to show support for the victims.  Photo courtesy of @kansascityinphotos/Instagram