On February 11th, the Kansas City Chiefs won the 58th Super Bowl, their 4th. To celebrate their victory, they held a parade in Kansas City on Wednesday, February 14th. The event started with a parade that continued into a rally with players and coaches addressing the crowd of around a million people. It ended with chaos and one less fan than it started with.
At 2 p.m., towards the end of the rally, gunshots were heard. Fans and players ran to safety, but not everyone remained unharmed. At least 20 people were injured, and one fan passed away. Two juvenile suspects are currently detained. The shooting began after a few fans were in a disagreement according to reports. Half of those injured were under 16, and the death was of local radio DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan, who was there with her son. 3 of the victims are in critical condition but are expected to recover.
Multiple players and fans have shared their horrifying experiences. Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire assisted a child to safety and guard Trey Smith was comforting kids. When telling the press what happened, he said “Right before I run in there, there’s a little kid in front of me, so I just grabbed him and yanked him up and said, ‘You’re hopping in here with me, buddy,'” Teenager Gabe Wallace was one of the fans at the parade, and has spoken out about his experience. He and his friend were on a fence when they heard the shots. A security guard told them to get off, there was a shooter. When Gabe leaped over the barricade, his foot got caught and he face-planted into the concrete. A security guard helped him get to Union Station when Andy Reid started to comfort Gabe. “Andy Reid was trying to comfort me, which was nice,” Gabe said, “He was kind of hugging me, just like, ‘Are you OK, man? Are you OK? Just please breathe.’ He was being real nice and everything.”
After the chaos, many put out messages on social media. The Chiefs organization released a statement, saying it was “truly saddened by the senseless act of violence”. The NFL also released a similar message. Star tight end Travis Kelce wrote, “I am heartbroken over the tragedy that took place today… KC, you mean the world to me”. Patrick Mahomes wrote “Praying for Kansas City”. Many players have donated lots of money to the victims, and the Chiefs have launched KC strong. It is an emergency response fund to support victims and their families, violence prevention, mental health services, and first responders.
This event is a horrible reminder that even happy joyous events can go wrong. What should have been a celebration of the Chief’s accomplishment turned into a tragedy.
