DENVER — Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone says "something has to be done" after the victory rally for the Kansas City Chiefs became the site of the latest mass shooting Wednesday afternoon.
"We all say it over and over and over again: something has to be done. I'm not a politician. I don't know what the answers are. But I do feel for everybody," Malone told reporters when asked about the incident.
At least one person was killed and 21 others, including children, were wounded in the shooting. As the Chiefs wrapped up on stage during their celebratory rally, attendees quickly dispersed, and ambulances were seen rushing to the scene along with officers who had their guns drawn.
"I heard one of the coaches say it's that, it gets to a point where you don't want to go to a movie theater, you don't want to go celebrate a championship, you don't want to go out to a nightclub, because this just happens time and time again. And then you're not living," Malone said.
Malone called on leaders at all levels of government to take action.
"So that's where our, you know, the people that we put in power in our offices, whether it's locally or nationally, they've got to do a better job of finding a way to not make all these — I haven't heard the details [of] what kind of guns or weapons were used in this case, but people just can't go buy a gun or an assault rifle and go kill people. I mean, like, how many more people have to die before we change that? And again, that's not my job. My job is to coach, but I do have feelings. I am a parent, and I am a member of this great nation. We have to do a much better job than we have"
Nuggets Nation is not immune to such shootings. In June 2023, 10 people were wounded in a mass shooting in downtown Denver while fans were celebrating the team's first NBA title win. Investigators determined that a drug deal likely led to the shooting after recovering large amounts of cash and drugs, including bags of fentanyl, at the scene.
Two days later, two people were shot in the area of 17th and Curtis streets after the championship parade had moved through downtown. The Denver Police Department said neither shooting was specifically related to the championship celebrations.
Authorities have not yet released a motive for the Kansas City shooting.
