Gunfire on Highway Hits Uber Carrying Argentina Fans Amid Kansas City Attacks.
An Uber driver transporting Argentina soccer fans to a World Cup match was among four people wounded in a string of shootings across Kansas City, Missouri, that also claimed the life of one man, police said. Authorities are searching for a 22-year-old suspect, considered armed and dangerous. The five shootings took place within a 30-minute span Tuesday evening along a five-mile stretch of the city, including three incidents on Interstates 70 and 670 through downtown Kansas City.
All five shootings occurred at least four miles from Arrowhead Stadium, where Argentina secured a victory over Algeria in its opening World Cup match.
According to two American supporters of Argentina interviewed by the Argentine newspaper La Nación, a vehicle pulled alongside the Uber carrying them to Tuesday’s match and fired two shots. The gunfire struck the driver in the leg, leaving him injured.
The fans said they initially mistook the gunshots for a tire blowout before realizing the Uber driver had been struck. After the incident, they were taken to a police station to provide statements and were later escorted to the stadium in patrol vehicles, according to their account.
Police Capt. Jacob Becchina said the driver’s injuries were not life-threatening.
Authorities said that shooting, along with two others on the interstate highways, occurred as vehicles were traveling eastbound, including one that originated in neighboring Kansas. Police are investigating whether the incidents are connected.
The remaining shootings took place farther east along Truman Road, a major artery through Kansas City.
According to police, four people — three adults and a teenage minor — were injured and hospitalized. Jacob Becchina said only one adult suffered life-threatening injuries.
Vehicle Crashes Into Utility Pole
At approximately 6:30 p.m., officers responded to reports of a vehicle that had crashed into a utility pole on Truman Road, east of the other shooting locations. The driver was transported to a hospital, where medical staff discovered what appeared to be a gunshot wound while treating him.
Investigators are examining whether the crash was connected to the series of shootings that unfolded across the city within a 30-minute span.
The driver later succumbed to his injuries, becoming the sole fatality in the series of shootings.
“Victims all indicated they were driving down the highway or roadway when one or more shots were fired into their vehicles,” Jacob Becchina said in an email.
Investigators believe the non-fatal shootings occurred in rapid succession from west to east across the city and were carried out by the same suspect, Becchina said.
Police later traced the suspect to a residence in Independence, a suburb located about two miles east of where the fatal shooting victim was discovered. Authorities surrounded the home, leading to a standoff with the suspect.
However, when officers entered the residence at about 8 a.m. Wednesday, the suspect was no longer inside, police said.
Authorities in Kansas City have also issued a warrant for the suspect in connection with a June 11 incident involving the illegal discharge of a firearm, according to Nancy Chartrand.
The additional warrant adds to the ongoing search for the 22-year-old suspect, who remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous.
