Andy Reid opens up on Chiefs’ parade shooting, says negative can turn positive with togetherness and love
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: Kansas City Chiefs' head coach Andy Reid spoke publicly for the first time since the tragic shooting that occurred at the end of the team’s Super Bowl parade on February 14, 2024.
He expressed his condolences for the victims and their families and urged the city’s youth to overcome the negative with love and unity.
Andy Reid sends a positive message to Kansas City youth: ‘You’re our future’
Reid, 65, addressed the media at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, February 27, and asked them to refrain from asking football-related questions until he finished talking about the shooting.
He said he wanted to share his condolences for the Galvan and Lopez family who lost Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a 43-year-old mother-of-two, in the incident.
“She was a personality there, and a very good human being, first of all. We’ll all miss her, as I know her family will,” Reid said, according to the Associated Press.
He also made a heartfelt plea to the city’s youth who were among the 22 wounded in the shooting. More than half of them were under 16 years old, according to local authorities.
“You’re our future,” Reid said, adding “And as great as we can make this place, we want to do that. We can turn this, which was a negative, into a real positive. With just a little togetherness and love, we can fix a lot of problems.”
Andy Reid comforted children at the scene after shooting
Reid was one of the first responders to the shooting. He was seen hugging and comforting children who were injured or traumatized by the violence.
A teenager who was shot in the leg told The Kansas City Star that Reid was “being real nice and everything.”
He said Reid asked him to breathe and told him he was OK. The teen said Reid then left to check on other people.
Police arrested and charged two men, Dominic M Miller and Lyndell Mays, with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting. Two juveniles who were allegedly involved were also arrested and charged with gun-related offenses.
Patrick Mahomes visited two young sisters who were shot
Days after the shooting, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany, paid a surprise visit to two young sisters who were shot at the parade.
The sisters, aged 10 and 11, were recovering at the Children’s Mercy Hospital.
"In a time where they are traumatized, saddened, and worried, having a surprise appearance from Patrick and Brittany Mahomes brought the first smile to their faces since tragedy struck," the family said in a statement, as per People.
The Chiefs organization had previously issued a written statement expressing their sorrow and gratitude for the first responders and the community.
Reid’s comments on Tuesday, February 27, marked the first time anyone from the team spoke publicly about the shooting. He said he hoped the city would heal and move forward with love and togetherness.
