An alleged killer is on the run in Kansas City – after one person was shot dead and four injured in a spree which included an attack close to England’s training base.
Police are hunting Oscar Sanchez-Munoz, 22, following a chilling frenzy that also saw an Uber driver hit as he ferried fans to an Argentina game.
KCPD Chief Stacey Graves has told local media they were ‘hot on the trail’ of the suspect, who has been described by investigators as ‘armed and dangerous’.
Police say within half an hour on Tuesday night they were told of four separate shootings across the city including one at Prospect Avenue, which is around a 15-minute drive from where Thomas Tuchel and his men are practicing at Swope Soccer Village.
England are being given a heavy police escort from their upmarket hotel to the training ground, which is in a less salubrious part of the city.
Police are hunting Oscar Sanchez-Munoz in Kansas City, close to England’s World Cup base
England’s players are playing a behind-closed-doors friendly on Thursday
The squad flew back to Kansas City last night following their thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia. Fringe players are due to play a behind-closed-doors game at the facility at 5.30pm UK time.
The shootings ended with a fatality and a car crash. A house in Independence, where Sanchez-Munoz was believed to be hiding, was at the centre of several-hours standoff with police before the property went up in flames.
After the fire was put out, Sanchez-Munoz was not found inside, although his car was at the premises.
‘If you see this individual, please call the TIPS hotline, please call 911 immediately. We are hot on the trail of this subject and we want to make sure he’s taken into custody as soon as possible,’ Chief Stacey Graves said.
‘I want people to know that the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department is out here protecting and serving.
‘We have a lot of law enforcement agencies here in Kansas City not only to keep Kansas City safe but also World Cup events. That’s one of the reasons we brought in a lot of outside law enforcement, so we could keep those events safe and make sure we have enough officers to police our city.’
Three adults and a teenager were taken to hospital. One of the adults has life-threatening injuries.
If anyone has any information on his whereabouts or sees the suspect police ask that they call 911 immediately or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.
Kansas City has been a centre of some drama for England since they arrived at the World Cup.
Daily Mail Sport revealed on Friday that the audacious heist had taken place while a load of boots and equipment was en route from West Palm Beach in Florida to England’s Swope Soccer Village base.
Sources say boots belonging to Jordan Pickford were among the items taken. The players’ table-tennis table was also smashed during the robbery.
Jude Bellingham and England’s other stars flew back to Kansas City after beating Croatia
Jackson County prosecutors listed the items allegedly stolen, most of which have since been recovered. The loot included four pairs of football boots, goalkeeper gloves, three signed England shirts, eight training kits, two stuffed lion mascots, a Lego set of a Nike Air shoe, five pairs of trainers, a World Cup football and a JBL speaker.
It was on Friday afternoon, 24 hours before England were due to train for the first time in Kansas City, that logistics staff realised they had been the victims of a robbery. They had expected to find all of their goods waiting at Swope Soccer Village to then be arranged inside the training facility.
And last weekend the players were warned to stay indoors after a ‘destructive’ storm warning was issued for the Kansas City area.
Tornado sirens sounded while a text message was sent out warning of 80mph winds on their way.
An alert message from the National Weather Service read: ‘Imminent Threat Alert: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING in effect in this area until 9:00pm CDT for DESTRUCTIVE 80 mph winds.
‘Take shelter in a sturdy building, away from windows. Flying debris may be deadly to those caught without shelter.
‘For your protection, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building.’
