A joyous celebration of the Kansas City Chiefs’ stunning overtime win in Super Bowl LVIII turned tragic on Wednesday when more than 20 people were injured and a mother of two was shot and killed.
Kansas City police have confirmed that Lisa Lopez-Galvan, 43, a local DJ, was killed in the shooting. She was attending the parade with her husband and her adult son, who was also shot. Other victims include 11 children, at least nine of whom suffered gunshot wounds.
Three individuals are in custody pending charges, two of whom are minors, according to police. While no motive has been confirmed, it is believed the individuals were engaged in a disagreement just before the shooting occurred. One weapon was recovered from the scene, and at least 10 individuals have been questioned by authorities.
“It is with sincere sadness and an extremely heavy and broken heart that we let our community know that KKFI DJ Lisa Lopez, host of ‘Taste of Tejano,’ lost her life today in the shooting at the KC Chiefs’ rally,” a statement from KKFI read, per CNN. “Our hearts and prayers are with her family.”
The Chiefs organization and numerous NFL teams have released statements about the shooting, expressing sorrow for the loss and outrage over the incident.
“We are truly saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred outside of Union Station at the conclusion of today’s parade and rally,” the Chiefs said in a statement.
The team confirmed that no players, staff, or coaches were injured in the shooting. One Chiefs player, offensive lineman Trey Smith, shared his experience with NFL.com.
“I just remember the security guards just ushering us through the doors quickly, saying, ‘Come on, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up,'” Smith said. He fled to a closet area where he was able to pick up a young boy and offer comfort through a mutual love of WWE wrestling. Smith shared a WWE title belt with the boy to help calm him as the situation unfolded.
“I’m like, ‘Here you go, buddy, this is yours. No one is going to hurt you. You’re here with us. You’re going to be A-OK. You’re going to be all right,'” Smith said.
President Joe Biden denounced the violence in a statement while calling for additional anti-gun laws.
“The celebration of a Super Bowl win is a moment that brings a joy that can’t be matched to the winning team and their supporters. For this joy to be turned to tragedy today in Kansas City cuts deep in the American soul,” the statement read. “It is time to act. That’s where I stand.”
“And I ask the country to stand with me. To make your voice heard in Congress so we finally act to ban assault weapons, to limit high-capacity magazines, strengthen background checks, keep guns out of the hands of those who have no business owning them or handling them.”
Kansas City police are continuing to update the community on the investigation and have not confirmed many details concerning the suspects, the weapon or weapons involved, or whether there was a tie to gang violence.
