Nine Injured in Shooting Near England’s Training Base in Kansas City
Nine individuals have sustained injuries following a shooting incident in close proximity to England’s designated World Cup training base in Kansas City, Missouri, as reported by The Athletic.
Local law enforcement responded to reports of gunfire on Trust Avenue at approximately 04:00 local time on Saturday. The incident occurred less than five miles from Swope Soccer Village the training complex assigned to the England squad and a short distance from the team’s tournament accommodation.
Kansas City Police Captain Jake Becchina confirmed that arriving officers encountered a large, dispersing crowd. Three adult women were transported to a local medical facility immediately following the incident, with a total of nine adults subsequently seeking medical attention for non-life-threatening injuries. No suspects have been apprehended at this stage, though police visibility and patrols in the area have been heightened.
The England players and technical staff remain entirely unaffected by the situation, as they are currently based in Palm Beach, Florida, finalising their pre-tournament preparations.
The squad commenced their warm-up schedule with a 1-0 victory over New Zealand in Tampa on Saturday and are scheduled to face Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday. The delegation is slated to fly to their Kansas City base on June 13, where they will reside for the remainder of their tournament campaign.
The incident underscores growing regional security concerns as Kansas City prepares to host an estimated 650,000 visitors over the course of the tournament. Defending champions Argentina and the Netherlands are also scheduled to establish their team bases within the city, utilising the training facilities of Sporting Kansas City and the local NWSL franchise respectively
