Alejandro stopped the taxi driver’s bleeding: “Two big bullet holes in the legs”
KANSAS CITY. Alejandro and his party were on their way to Argentina’s meeting with Algeria.
Then they found themselves in the middle of an extensive shootout – and their taxi driver was one of those hit.
– I thought it was a terrorist attack, says Alejandro to Sportbladet.
Kansas City, with around 500,000 inhabitants, is the WC’s smallest host city in terms of population.
In addition to four group stage matches, a round of 16 final and a quarter final will also be played here. Thanks to its size, the championship is noticed significantly more than in many other North American cities. Football jerseys and flags of the participating nations can be seen just about everywhere.
In addition, England has chosen to have its base in a nearby area. It is when parts of the journalist corps, who are there to cover the English training, are about to walk the 15-minute distance from the training ground to the press room that a policeman issues a warning:
– Be careful.
Overall, Kansas City is described as safe by local residents. But the area around Swope Soccer Village has for a long time had problems with crime, which is the reason why the England national team receives a heavy police escort on the journey from and to their hotel.
It was about 15 minutes from here that the Argentina supporter Alejandro and his party found themselves in the middle of a shooting.
A shocking incident that resulted in four injured people and one dead man.
“Two large bullet holes in his leg”
– The plan was to go to Kansas from Miami for the day to see the game, says Alejandro.
– We arrived at 17:30 in the afternoon and made our way from the airport to the hotel to leave our bags. Then we headed straight to Arrowhead Stadium, and a couple of friends jumped into our Uber. The driver, a Pakistani guy, was really super nice. The nicest guy.
Once on the highway, they are overtaken by a car at high speed.
– Then two big bangs are heard. Boom, boom. And my friend says “we must have had a puncture”, says Alejandro.
But soon they realize the seriousness.
– Suddenly the guy at the wheel turned around and started screaming and steered to the left, off the highway, before he stopped and said “I’m hit, I’m hit”, says Alejandro.
– I didn’t understand at first – hit by what? What was going on? Then I turn around and see two large bullet holes in his leg and that he was bleeding.
Alejandro threw himself over the phone and dialed 911.
– I asked for police, ambulance, everything… They instructed me how to take care of the guy. I jumped into the front seat and began examining his wounds. I found some wipes in the glove compartment which I used to try to stop the bleeding, and tried to relax.
– The guy started to feel dizzy and lose consciousness so I tried to keep him awake.
Was driven to the arena with sirens
What Alejandro didn’t know then was that there were more victims.
In a stretch of about eight kilometers, a total of five shootings occurred on Tuesday afternoon.
Of the four injured people who were taken to hospital, one was said to have life-threatening injuries. In a crashed car, another man was discovered with gunshot wounds who had already lost his life.
– It took about ten minutes before the police and ambulance arrived, says Alejandro.
– When they arrived… then I just felt relief. But while we were waiting, we didn’t know where the shots came from. We were worried that someone was shooting at us along the way. We got paranoid, I mean, we didn’t know what was going on.
He praises the police who took them to the station and assured them the driver would be fine.
– If the shots had hit a more exposed area, it would have been a different story, interjects Alejandro.
When it became clear that the group still wanted to get to the match, the police moved out.
– They drove us in the police car with the sirens on to the arena. We made it in time and saw the game, even though we were on full blast. Half an hour earlier we had helped a guy with gunshot wounds and now we were singing about Messi. It’s a strange situation to be in.
Above average homicide rate
Kansas City, Missouri’s largest city, has long had one of the highest rates of gun violence among major US cities.
In February 2024, a shooting occurred as the pride of the city – the Kansas City Chiefs – celebrated in the streets after winning the Super Bowl. One person died and 29 were injured during the parade, prompting then-President Joe Biden to call for tougher gun laws.
In 2025, 138 murders were recorded in Kansas City, according to the police’s official crime statistics. In Sweden – with roughly 20 times more inhabitants – a total of 84 cases of fatal violence occurred in the same year, of which 42 were fatal shootings.
The trend is moving in the right direction: the number of non-fatal shootings in Kansas City in 2026 has decreased by about a third compared to the same period the year before. But despite the improvement, the city’s homicide rate is still well above the U.S. average.
A fact that the city’s mayor, Quinton Lucas, is acutely aware of.
– We have a problem with gun violence in the United States. I think the people of Kansas City see it and want it to be solved, not just to be part of the statistics game, said Lucas, who has been in the post since 2019.
“Many police officers are looking for him”
The hunt for Oscar Sanchez-Munoz, the 22-year-old man suspected of being solely responsible for the shootings before Tuesday’s World Cup match, is still ongoing.
That’s what Jacob Becchina, captain of the Kansas City police, tells us when we meet at the fan zone next to the national museum.
– But we have a lot of police officers looking for him, assures Becchina.
He shakes his head in concern that not just one – but two – shootings have occurred this week. Although it is possible to point to a clear downward trend, a result of greater police resources in recent years.
Bad timing?
– Bad timing, yes, now that we have all the eyes of the world on us.
You don’t have to be a police officer to understand that the security operation around the World Cup is extensive. It is not only Kansas City’s own strength that is in place tonight. The county police – with “Sheriff” on their backs – are here, and agents wearing FBI vests are also seen in the crowd.
Even the military police have parked one of their eye-catching vehicles outside the entrance and happily pose for selfies with visitors.
When asked how long they have been preparing for the WC, the answer is:
– Years.
The Super Bowl tragedy two years ago serves as a reminder of the importance of careful planning.
– The biggest difference was that the event was put together in three days. We won the Super Bowl, so everyone wanted to go out and celebrate. There were no fences, nothing like that, says Becchina, adding:
– Here you can carry weapons legally. That’s just the way it is in the US, especially in Missouri. And if you have a large crowd…
Alejandro: “Can’t think ‘what if’”
According to Alejandro, who himself lives in Miami, it is not difficult to figure out how to stop shootings.
– Anyone can carry a weapon, then this kind of thing happens. In schools, shopping centers, on the streets, nightclubs, he says resignedly.
– I come from another country and have lived here for 30 years now. But this thing is out of control. For me, guns are unacceptable – but I have to live with them.
It was not easy for anyone in the party to shake off the trauma as they stood there in the arena in Kansas City.
– One of the girls started crying and at that moment… we understood that nothing happened to us. That the poor guy would make it. We had to shut down, and not think about how terrible it could have ended.
Do you feel you can still enjoy the World Cup?
– Yes, you have to live on. You can’t go around thinking “what if”.
