Big Red…what a guy.
What should have been a day of celebration for the Kansas City Chiefs after their Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers quickly turned to tragedy when shots rang out during the team’s Super Bowl parade.
As of right now, it being reported that one woman has died, and at least 22 people were injured in the violent shooting. Kansas City radio station KKFI has identified one of its DJs, Lisa Lopez, as the deceased victim of the shooting.
Police do not believe the incident was an act of domestic terrorism at this time, and perhaps more likely gang and/or criminal activity, however three armed individuals were detained shortly after the shooting.
One of them was caught thanks to the brave acts of parade attendees who heroically jumped into action. Based on this video below, a person that was fleeing from police was tackled by a couple of courageous Chiefs fans that saw the man running in the area.
You can also see a woman pick up the rifle he dropped when he was tackled by the Good Samaritans. Check it out:
The team themselves were quickly rushed onto buses and back to Arrowhead Stadium. But in the chaos that unfolded at the scene, one teenager recalls being comforted by an important member of the Chiefs: Head coach, Andy Reid.
Speaking to The Kansas City Star, Gabe Wallace described the frantic search for his friends as the carnage broke out around him:
“The security guard was like, ‘Get over the damn fence right now, there’s a shooter.’
I hit my face on accident…We went in Union Station. I had no idea if my friends were ok.”
At the time of the interview, Wallace had still not heard from his friends, though they were later able to get in touch and confirm that everybody in their group was ok.
And Wallace said Coach Reid was there providing comfort amidst the chaos:
“Andy Reid was trying to comfort me, which was nice. 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 game on Sunday, star Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce praised his head coach for his leadership skills, calling him “one of the best leaders of men” he’s ever seen.
And it seems like that leadership was on full display in the aftermath of a senseless tragedy.
