Parents of Parkland students who were killed in the school shooting on Feb. 14, 2018 have responded to “crushing” news about the mass shooting at the end of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade Wednesday in Kansas City, Mo.
“Just got home from the cemetery where I spent Valentine’s Day with my daughter who was shot and killed 6 years ago,” Fred Guttenberg, parent of Parkland victim Jaime Guttenberg, wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Coming home to this news is crushing. WE DO NOT NEED TO ACCEPT THIS AS THE PRICE FOR LIVING IN AMERICA.”
Six years ago, 14 students and three staff members were killed in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. On anniversaries, the victims’ family members and survivors have spoken about gun reform.
Manuel and Patricia Oliver, whose son Joaquin was among the victims, were on CNN News Central to discuss the anniversary of their son’s death and the other 16 victims when the broadcast was interrupted by the breaking news of the Kansas City shooting.
Manuel told anchors Boris Sanchez and Kate Bolduan that he is “not surprised at all” by the news.
“It’s like, literally, we interrupt these interviews because we have another mass shooting going on. And then you might be interrupting that one because it was going to be another one, so it never stops. And yes, we will investigate so far,” Manuel said.
“I can tell you two things: there’s a gun, and there’s people that were shot,” he continued. “So far without any investigation, I can tell that a common element gun and someone’s shooting innocent people. That should be enough for us to be offended and to start working on a solution.”
During a press conference late Wednesday, Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said that there was one deceased and 22 wounded, though authorities were still working on the total number of victims and identifying the deceased victim.
An active investigation was underway and the scene had been “cleared” and made safe while authorities continue to collect evidence and conduct interviews, Graves said.
“Three persons were detained and under investigation for today’s incident,” Graves added. “Right now we do not have a motive.”
Graves said the shooting began on the west side of the city’s Union Station immediately after a rally honoring the Chiefs, who won the Super Bowl on Sunday.
