NFL, Detroit 'Confident' in Safety Plan for 2024 Draft After Chiefs Parade Shooting

The city of Detroit and the NFL remain confident that they can still host a safe NFL draft in late April amid the aftermath of a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl parade on Wednesday.

"The City of Detroit has hosted several large-scale successful events recently including the Ford Fireworks, the Detroit Grand Prix, America's Thanksgiving Parade, and Lions games with more than 70,000 fans in attendance as well as, many other events and concerts," Detroit Police Chief James White said in a statement (h/t The Detroit News).

"Taking from those experiences, we have built our safety strategy and are confident this plan will ensure the safety of all in attendance at the draft and the surrounding areas."

The statement, which was a joint effort between the police department and the Detroit Downtown Partnership, also noted that they will continue to "evolve" over the next two months "to ensure every effort has been made for a safe event that everyone can enjoy."

Per Mike Jones of The Athletic: "NFL vice president of communications Brian McCarthy expressed similar confidence in the NFL's security team and the plans set in place in partnership with White's department and other Detroit officials."

Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a Kansas City DJ and a mother of two, died as the result of the shooting. At least 22 people, including nine children, were injured. The Kansas City Police Department has arrested two juveniles in connected with the shooting, which authorities state was in response to a "dispute between several people."

The NFL draft will occur in downtown Detroit from Thursday, April 25 through Saturday, April 27.

Per Dana Afana and JC Reindl of the Detroit Free Press, the draft will take place at the Campus Martius, Cadillac Square, Monroe Street Midway and Hart Plaza areas.

There's the potential for hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city for the NFL draft, per Visit Detroit. The 2023 NFL draft, which took place in Kansas City, attracted over 300,000 fans.

The NFL draft has largely moved to outdoor venues since 2015, when Chicago's Grant Park hosted the event. It has since been held in Philadelphia, Nashville, Arlington, Cleveland, Las Vegas and Kansas City. Green Bay will host the NFL draft in 2025.