Nine people sustained injuries after a shooting incident near the base camp of the England national football team in Kansas City, according to The Athletic.
Police responded to reports of gunfire around 4am on Saturday along Troost Avenue, located a short distance from England’s training base and not far from the hotel the team is expected to use during the tournament.
Officers arrived to find a large crowd dispersing from the area.
Kansas City Police Department captain Jake Becchina confirmed to The Athletic that officers were dispatched after reports of shots being fired.
Three adult women were initially taken to hospital with injuries, before authorities later clarified that a total of nine adults had presented at various hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
No suspects have been arrested, though patrols are continuing in the area.
The incident comes shortly after the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners approved a $17 million federal grant aimed at strengthening World Cup security measures, according to 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 are currently in Palm Beach, Florida, as they continue preparations for the tournament. They recently beat New Zealand 1-0 in a warm-up match in Tampa and are scheduled to face Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday before travelling to Kansas City on June 13 for the remainder of their World Cup camp.
Once in Kansas City, the team will train at Swope Soccer Village, used by Sporting KC’s reserve and academy sides.
The city also hosts other tournament teams, with Argentina national football team and the Netherlands national football team also based there. Argentina will use Sporting Kansas City’s main training facility, while the Netherlands will train at the Kansas City Current’s base.
