Revelers at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade on Wednesday described the horrifying moment gunfire erupted when a woman said “I thought I was going to die.”
Panic, confusion and fear quickly engulfed the celebrations when gunshots rang out near the parade route after an afternoon of festivities, killing at least one person and injuring more than 22 others.
Madison Anderes went to the parade with her brother and mother. told CNN They initially believed the first gunfire to be a “set of fireworks” and fled for their lives.
But the man in front of me turned around and screamed. “He’s got a gun!” He’s got a gun,” and a second, louder gunshot rang out as the family started running.
“That’s when all the chaos started,” Anders, 24, told the network. “I felt like a sitting duck, afraid I was going to die, that I was going to get shot.”
She was knocked to the ground as people tried to escape, but quickly got back up and hid near a storefront with her loved ones and about 10 other fans.
Kevin Sanders, 53, also thought he heard fireworks as people started running. After the first series of loud thumps, there was a brief hush that didn’t worry residents of Lenexa, Kansas.
The bloodshed was only noticed when an ambulance rushed to the scene about 10 minutes later.
“It’s unfortunate that someone had to spoil the celebration, but we’re in a big city,” Sanders told The Associated Press.
Another woman who was attending the parade with her daughter told how they tried to protect each other amid the chaos.
The witness only identified herself as Amy. told NBC News I heard that there was a gunman and saw people desperately jumping over the gate.
“So we just fell to the ground,” she said, adding that her daughter “tried to climb on top of me to protect me, so I just tried to hold her so nothing happened to her.” she said.
“It’s really shocking to come here to celebrate with such sadness,” she told the outlet.
According to police, at least two people have been detained so far.
