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Giant ‘KC STRONG’ message takes shape at Union Station day after Chiefs rally shooting

A sign made from chairs spelled out “KC STRONG” Thursday afternoon in front of Union Station, the site of a mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally on Wednesday.
A sign made from chairs spelled out “KC STRONG” Thursday afternoon in front of Union Station, the site of a mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally on Wednesday. tljungblad@kcstar.com

On Thursday — the day after the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade and rally ended in a mass shooting — a message appeared in front of Union Station.

White folding chairs spelled out “KC STRONG,” a sprawling word of encouragement amid bleak headlines.

After Wednesday’s parade, thousands of fans gathered outside Union Station to hear players and team officials. But as the rally wrapped up, gunshots rang out.

Kansas City police said 23 people were shot, and Johnson County mother Lisa Lopez-Galvan died.

Police arrested three people. Two teenagers remain in police custody, while a third juvenile was released Thursday after officers determined the person was not involved.

Chairs offered a word of encouragement on Thursday following Wednesday’s mass shooting.
Chairs offered a word of encouragement on Thursday following Wednesday’s mass shooting. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com

Thursday morning, strollers, shoes and other belongings lay strewn around the area as police wanted the crime scene untouched. But later in the day, the folding chairs were rearranged into a message of hope.

By late afternoon, crews cleared it all away, and were still cleaning up into Thursday evening. City officials set up a lost and found collection area on the east side of Washington Square Park on Grand Boulevard.

Jenna Thompson
The Kansas City Star
Jenna Thompson covers retail news for The Kansas City Star. A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, she previously reported for the Lincoln Journal Star and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she studied journalism and English.
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