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Kansas shooting: Mayor Lucas calls Gov Mike Parson 'racist' for labelling victory parade accused ‘thugs’
Two minors arrested for the Kansas City Chiefs' victory parade shootout, sparking a debate over the use of the term 'thugs' by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.
The Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade was marred by a shooting that left one dead and 22 injured, including 11 children. Two minors have been arrested and charged with gun-related offenses and resisting arrest in connection with the incident.
The 16th Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri said on Friday that more charges are likely to follow as the investigation by the Kansas City Police Department goes on.
‘We can’t let some thugs just take over’
The shooting sparked a controversy over the use of the word “thugs” by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson to describe the suspects.
Parson said after the shooting, “We can’t let some thugs just take over and ruin what happened.” His remark was criticized by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who accused him of employing a racial “dog whistle.”
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Lucas expressed his disagreement with Parson’s choice of words during a local radio show “Up to Date” on Friday. He told the host Steve Kraske, “I have respect for the governor. We get along well. I disagree strongly with how he would describe that situation. I certainly do think this was criminal activity. It was lawlessness, and I think that that’s troubling. But ‘thugs’ is a dog whistle in the most classic sense.”
Lucas calls it a ‘racism’
Lucas also said that he has witnessed similar cases of alleged racism “time and again.” He dismissed a “giant conservative theory on social media” that claimed that the mug shots of the suspects were not shown because they were black. He said that this was “absolutely preposterous” and that there were “protections to juveniles.”
The shooting occurred on February 14, 2024, during the Chiefs’ rally to celebrate their Super Bowl victory.
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According to the police, the suspects opened fire from a car near the parade route. The police returned fire and stopped the car. No officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire. The victims were taken to nearby hospitals, where they were expected to recover as of Wednesday night. Nine of the children were shot, while two suffered other injuries.
