Shooting Erupts at Chiefs Rally

One person was killed and up to 15 people were injured in a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory rally, triggering panic among huge crowds of fans celebrating their team's success.

Kansas City police chief Stacey Graves confirmed the fatality and said between 10 and 15 people had been injured after the shooting at Union Station, just yards from where Chiefs players had addressed cheering supporters.

Police said "two armed people" had been taken into custody, while fire officials said that three of the injured were in a critical condition, five serious and one with non life-threatening injuries.

After shots rang out, shocked fans scrambled to flee to safety as police worked to clear Union Station in an ugly end to what had been a joyous victory parade.

Victims were treated lying on the ground before being carried away on stretchers as crowds streamed past. The Children's Mercy hospital in the city said it had admitted patients from the shooting, but gave no further details.

"I'm angry at what happened today," Graves said. "The people who came to this celebration should expect a safe environment," the police chief added.

Gun violence is not uncommon at large-scale sporting victory celebrations in North America.

Last year, 10 people were wounded after a shooting which erupted in Denver amid fans celebrating the Denver Nuggets' NBA championship victory.

In 2019, four people were injured after gunfire broke out near a parade to honor the Toronto Raptors' NBA Finals victory in Toronto.

Mass shootings are also common in the United States, where there are more guns than people and about a third of adults own a firearm.

The Chiefs were celebrating their third Super Bowl title in five seasons after beating the San Francisco 49ers in overtime in Las Vegas to cement the team's dynasty status.