Fox Sports 1’s First Things First was broadcasting live from the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade on Wednesday when a shooter opened fire near Union Station downtown.
The panic that ensued appeared to take place during a commercial break, as FS1 aired ads and promos for its show for nearly 10 minutes before cutting abruptly to a Fox News Channel “special alert.” Fox News broke into breaking-news coverage live on the scene.
First Things First host Nick Wright posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the cast and crew of the show was safe. Wright is a massive Chiefs fan and was seen embracing star tight end Travis Kecle during the parade and mingling with fans before the shooting broke out.
“I’m absolutely heartbroken for everyone that this happened,” Wright wrote.
Both cohost Kevin Wildes and the First Things First account reposted Wright’s post.
Reports indicated two suspects have been arrested near Union Station in Kansas City. Local police stated one person lost their life, with as many as nine more injured.
Adam Schefter of ESPN later reported on NFL Live that he heard from a source within the Chiefs that everyone in the organization was safe.
With First Things First live on the scene and forced to evacuate, Fox had to act quickly. On ESPN, the network waited until its NFL show aired before covering the incident.
FS1 moved to airing its late-afternoon program Speak just after 4 p.m. ET, about a half-hour early.
The FS1 crew broadcasting from the parade is incidental to the tragic loss of life in downtown Kansas City on Wednesday. But their presence on the scene highlights just how surreal the situation was around yet another sad shooting in the United States, this time at one of America’s signature sports celebrations.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.