Police responded early Saturday to reports of gunfire on Troost Avenue, discovering a large crowd dispersing. England’s national team, currently training in Florida, is set to arrive in Kansas City on June 13 for the tournament
Nine people have been injured in a shooting in Kansas City, Missouri, near the area that will serve as England’s base during the FIFA World Cup. Police said officers were called to Troost Avenue at about 04:00 local time on Saturday following reports of gunfire.
According to Kansas City Police Department Captain Jake Becchina, officers arrived to find a large crowd dispersing from the area. Three adult women were found to have sustained injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment. Authorities later confirmed that a total of nine adults had attended various local hospitals with injuries described as non-life threatening.
No arrests have been made and no suspects are currently in custody. Police said officers continue to patrol the area as the investigation remains ongoing.
The shooting occurred a short distance from the training facility and hotel that England will use during the World Cup. On Thursday, the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners accepted a $17million-dollar federal grant for World Cup security and safety, as detailed by KCTV5. “We knew we needed the funding, so we kept moving forward with the planning,” KCPD Deputy Chief Derek McCollum is quoted as saying by the report. “We figured eventually that funding source would come through.”
England’s players and staff are currently based in Palm Beach, Florida, where they are completing preparations for the tournament. The team defeated New Zealand 1-0 in a warm-up match in Tampa on Saturday and are scheduled to play Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday.
England are due to arrive in Kansas City on June 13 and will remain there for the duration of the tournament. The team will train at Swope Soccer Village, the home of Sporting Kansas City’s reserve and academy teams, located in the south-east of the city. Kansas City is expecting around 650,000 visitors during the World Cup, an unusually high influx for the area, which poses significant safety and security challenges for the area.