KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — April Coleman spent Sunday frolicking in the street with family and friends, handing out green beads at the St. Patrick's Day parade in Kansas City, Missouri, and said she wouldn't stop only because there was a shooting last month. lethal in another massive event.
A rally honoring the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs was disrupted when two groups of people began shooting at each other, killing a mother of two and wounding about two dozen others, half of them. . of them under 16 years of age.
Coleman acknowledged that, although he has not forgotten the shooting, he also did not think about missing the St. Patrick's Day parade.
“I don't want to live my life in fear,” he said. “I still want to go out and have fun with good people.”
This time, things remained calm under a heavy police presence. Alayna González, police spokesperson, indicated that only two people were arrested, both for non-violent crimes.
Erin Gabert of the parade organizing committee said the crowd size seemed to be somewhat smaller this year, but it was unclear if that was because people were still afraid after the shooting, or if the cool, windy weather made it worse. kept away.
A float pulled by a truck had a sign on the front that said: “Kansas City strong.”
Parade organizers and police were diligent with security. González said there were 400 agents at the scene. There were uniformed men along the long parade route, and many more in civilian clothes mixed in with the crowd, in which the color green predominated. Other officers watched from the rooftops. A police helicopter was flying over the area.
However, the shooting during the Super Bowl parade showed that there are limitations to what can be done to stop a sudden outbreak of violence. About 800 officers were on the streets that day when gunshots were heard toward the end of the event on February 14.
Police said two groups of people became agitated, apparently because each group didn't like the way the other was looking at them. Lisa López Galván, a 43-year-old radio personality, was standing nearby when she was hit by bullets.
St. Patrick's Day parade leaders urged attendees to leave their weapons at home and arrive with a plan for where to park and where to gather if people became separated. Families were encouraged to have children visit something that identified them. They were also encouraged to report it to the police or a volunteer if they saw anything out of the ordinary.
Salter reported from O'Fallon, Missouri.
