NEED TO KNOW
- One person is dead and multiple others are injured after the roof of a Family Dollar store in Missouri partially collapsed
- The incident took place at the store, located in midtown Kansas City, on Sunday, July 27
- A 68-year-old man died, and a 50-year-old woman was critically injured
One person is dead and multiple others are injured after the roof of a Family Dollar store in Missouri partially collapsed.
According to reports from the Kansas City Star, FOX 4 and NBC affiliate station KSHB 41, the incident took place at the store, located in midtown Kansas City, on Sunday, July 27.
Michael Hopkins, a spokesperson for the Kansas City Fire Department (KCPD), told the outlets that the front facade of the store broke apart.
Fire officials from the KCFD arrived on the scene at around 2:45 p.m. local time, he added.
A 68-year-old man was killed, and a 50-year-old woman was critically injured, according to Hopkins. Two other people were treated for injuries and released.
Officials have not yet shared what caused the Family Dollar building to partially collapse.
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Several bystanders who were near the building when the incident occurred told KSHB they helped pull shoppers out from the rubble.
Photos taken from the scene show police tape keeping onlookers away from dislodged bricks and other pieces of the wrecked building in the street.
Hopkins told the local outlets that he didn’t have information tied to when the building was last inspected. He added that the KCFD plans to look into the store’s records, to see if any reports were made in the past about the building’s structural integrity.
Hopkins said the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) will now take over the investigation.
In a statement to PEOPLE, a Family Dollar spokesperson said, “We are deeply saddened by the tragedy at the leased Family Dollar store on Broadway Boulevard in Kansas City.”
“Our hearts and thoughts are with those impacted. We are conducting wellness checks with our employees and offering them resources and assistance,” the representative continued, adding: “The Company is conducting an investigation into this matter.”
Kansas City’s Broadway Street, between 36th and 38th streets, is expected to remain closed while police investigate and debris is removed from the roads, the local outlets reported.
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