KANSAS CITY, Mo. — What began as the opening night for Worlds of Fun's Halloween Haunt turned into chaos Saturday after reports of gunshots prompted the evacuation of the amusement park.
Kansas City, Missouri, police investigators spent Monday continuing their probe into the incident.
A police department spokesman told KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson they determined there was no indication of gunfire.
The sounds that sparked panic were fireworks, not gunshots, according to the Kansas City Police Department.
"Thankfully there was no gunfire, but it was still a bad incident," said Jake LaCombe, a witness.
Blaine Brandon was at the park Saturday night when he heard what he thought were five to six loud pops.
"You have 500-800 people running at one time, people are getting trampled,” Brandon said. “Moms are screaming and crying, children screaming and crying.
Brandon described the scene as "very chaotic" and said his family didn't get to enjoy their expensive experience at the packed Halloween event.
LaCombe said he heard people yell "shots fired" multiple times throughout the park.
"I don't remember hearing any loud pops or anything, but all it took was that for everyone to start running," LaCombe said. “I don’t know if they heard anything or if they were just trying to make a ruse.”
Both witnesses expressed concerns about supervision at the event.
"I noticed there was a lot of unattended juveniles," LaCombe said.
"There's no supervision for them,” Brandon said. “They're there in mass crowds being adolescents.”
Brandon also raised concerns about security measures at the park and described what he witnessed.
"I've watched them jump over fences and run underneath the patriot and jump over the next fence and they're laughing because they got in for free," Brandon said. "I've watched several people get in with backpacks. They didn't even check them.”
Despite police findings that no gunfire occurred, Brandon expressed frustration with how the incident has been characterized.
He says he’s confident in what he heard and saw, which included a fight that broke out among a group of adolescents.
LaCombe said he also saw a fight occur and wants to see more adult supervision.
"It makes me angry, in a way,” Brandon said. “I feel uneasy because they're downplaying what happened, saying it was just fireworks.”
Worlds of Fun does have a chaperone policy requiring children 15 and under to be accompanied by an adult.
In a statement Monday, Worlds of Fun said staff followed safety protocols during the incident.
The company also announced it has returned tickets that are valid through Nov. 1.
The emotional impact on families like Brandon’s remains significant.
"None of my kids want to go back," Brandon said. "The worst part about it is even if it's not physical damage, it’s emotional damage.”
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