Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Joyous Super Bowl Celebration Turns To Horror After Gunfire Erupts In KC
Bullets ripped through crowds of spectators following a Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade attended by tens of thousands Wednesday, killing one and injuring at least 21 others in the nation's latest shooting assault at a major sports or concert venue. Lisa Augustine, spokesperson for Children鈥檚 Mercy Kansas City, said the hospital was treating 12 patients from the rally, including 11 children, some of whom suffered gunshot wounds. (Arshad and Nurse, 2/14)
The parade shooting comes on the sixth anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 people and injured 17 more. It remains the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. 鈥淚鈥檓 heartbroken for the victims of the senseless mass shooting in Kansas City. On the anniversary of one of America鈥檚 deadliest school shootings, the persistent cycle of gun violence is a painful reality,鈥 Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.), said on X, formerly Twitter, Wednesday. 鈥淲e ALL deserve to live without the fear of being shot, whether at school, home, or celebrating special moments with our communities,鈥 he continued. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have to live like this.鈥 (Robertson, 2/14)
President Joe Biden on Wednesday said the country should be shocked by the shooting in Kansas City that killed at least one and injured 22 after the Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade. He also reiterated his long-standing call for more action to address gun violence. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 events should move us, shock us, shame us into acting,鈥 Biden said. 鈥淲hat are we waiting for? What else do we need to see? How many more families need to be torn apart?鈥 鈥淚t is time to act. That鈥檚 where I stand.鈥 (Desrochers, 2/14)
Also 鈥
Someone opened fire from a car at an Atlanta high school, wounding four students on Wednesday. The victims were hospitalized and treated for non-life threatening injuries after being shot at the Benjamin E. Mays High School campus parking lot, according to NBC News and FOX 5. The Atlanta Public Schools district said the shooting occurred shortly after dismissal. "No other students, faculty, or staff were injured," the district said in a statement sent to news media outlets. "The safety and security of our students and staff are paramount." (Robledo, 2/14)
An 18-year-old student authorities say had researched school shootings and had an arsenal of guns at his home was charged Wednesday with planning to attack a Southern California campus. Sebastian Villasenor of Eastvale was charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of attempting to make criminal threats, the San Bernardino County District Attorney鈥檚 Office said in a statement. He remained jailed. Investigators determined that Villasenor wasn鈥檛 鈥渂ullied or harassed鈥 but had difficulties 鈥渇orming relationships with other students and in his social interactions.鈥 (2/14)
A year ago, the city pumped more than a million taxpayer dollars into a raft of nonprofits in hopes of quelling a surge of shootings that marred dozens of lives. But after doling out the cash, officials kept few tabs on where the money went or what was accomplished. Now the money is running out as hard questions surface about the program鈥檚 effectiveness. Officials are pointing fingers at one another for the lack of oversight. Everyone 鈥斅爁rom council members to police officers to city staffers 鈥 said that responsibility fell to someone else.聽(Herscowitz and Grzeszczak, 2/14)
A study finds infants exposed to gun violence before birth were as much as 25% more likely to be born premature or with low weight. Northwest Florida experts say this research should resonate in the region. (Strickland, 2/14)