Multiple people were injured in a mass shooting that took place Saturday morning, nearly five miles from England’s World Cup base in Kansas City, Missouri.
At least nine adults were taken to nearby hospitals after police responded to reports of shots fired on 79th Street and Troost Avenue around 4 a.m. Saturday, police said. The intersection is roughly 4.6 miles from England’s base camp in Swope Soccer Village.
All of those injured were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to survive, Captain Jake Becchina of the Kansas City Police Department said in a statement. No suspects are in custody at this time, but the Kansas City Police Department is investigating the shooting.
England’s players and staff were not on-site during the incident, as they are currently training in Florida.
Kansas City Police Department Officer Alayna Gonzalez stressed that the incident “did not occur near a World Cup venue or anything else World Cup-related,” including England’s base.
The hotel where England’s team is staying is located even further from the area of the shooting, approximately 15 miles, police said.
Police responded to calls of shots fired near 79th and Troost Avenue and found a large crowd scattering. Three women, who had been struck by gunfire, were then transported to nearby hospitals. Law enforcement later received calls that another six people were injured. They were also taken to nearby hospitals via private vehicles with non-life-threatening injuries.
It’s unclear at this time what led to the gunfire.
Kate Fowler, who lives near the site of the shooting, told the Kansas City Star that she and her husband woke to a bullet hole in a front window of their home. She later learned that gunfire had rung out between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Friday in addition to Saturday morning’s shooting.
Fowler told the newspaper that it’s not uncommon to hear gunshots in the neighborhood at least once a week.
“It’s just unfortunate circumstances with some of the businesses around here,” Fowler told the Kansas City Star.
Another shooting occurred in Kansas City Saturday evening, just miles from the one on Troost Avenue. Two people were killed in that incident, according to KMBC News 9.
Though England’s team is based in Kansas City, the team was in Florida at the time of the shooting, preparing for a friendly match against New Zealand ahead of the World Cup.
England beat New Zealand 1-0 in Tampa on Saturday afternoon. They’ll face Costa Rica in Orlando later this week before flying back to Kansas City for the remainder of the tournament.
England is among several teams that chose Kansas City as their base camp due to its central location in the middle of the U.S. and the quality of its training facilities. Algeria, Argentina and the Netherlands are also based in Kansas City.
The Athletic was the first to report that the shooting occurred near England’s base camp.
