Hours after the terrifying shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Championship parade on Wednesday, Feb. 14, a teen revealed how head coach Andy Reid comforted him during the traumatic event.
While speaking to The Kansas City Star, teenager Gabe Wallace stated that the Chiefs head coach assisted him amid the mass shooting.
“Andy Reid was trying to comfort me, which was nice,” Wallace 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.”
Andy Reid, who is known by fans as “Big Red,” then left to check on other people who were present during the parade shooting. Wallace said he was attending the exciting event with friend Hank Hunter when shots were heard near Union Station shortly after Chiefs players left the celebration’s stage.
“The security guard was like, ‘Get over the damn fence right now. There’s a shooter,’” Wallace recalled.
Along with Andy Reid, Chiefs players also assisted parade attendees during the shooting. NFL reporter Albert Breer stated on X, “The Chiefs left the parade in busses and in shock. I’m told players were UNBELIEVABLE calming panicked kids down. Blaine Gabbert, Tre Smith, Austin Reiter, Chris Oladukun all rallied.”
Breer also said that Smith went to one upset child and gave him the WWE title belt. The NFL player then sat with the child until they calmed down.
Multiple outlets reported that 22 people were hospitalized following the parade shooting. One person, identified as Lisa Lopez-Galvan, was tragically killed.
An Estimated One Million People Were Gathered for the Kansas City Parade When the Shooting Occurred
According to CNN, an estimated one million people gathered on Wednesday in Kansas City to watch the Chiefs’ celebratory parade. A victory rally after the parade took place, with several Chiefs players in attendance, when the shooting began.
Although it was originally reported that two people in connection to the shooting were contacted, a third person was also arrested. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves also stated that a number of guns were recovered as well. No charges have been announced at this time.
“We do not have a motive,” Graves explained. “But we are asking those who may potentially have any kind of information, a witness or video, to contact police.”
One rally attendee told CNN that he ended up tackling someone and knocked a gun to the ground.
Following the shooting, the Kansas City Chiefs issued a statement. “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 organization stated. “Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and all of Kansas City. We are in close communication with the Mayor’s office as well as the Kansas City Police Department.”
The organization added that all of the players, coaches, staff, and their families are safe and accounted for. “We thank the local law enforcement officers and first responders who were on-scene to assist.”
