Gabe Wallace was shaken when gunshots rang out after the Super Bowl parade Wednesday in Kansas City, Missouri, to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the San Francisco 49ers.
But soon the teen and many others were being comforted by Chiefs’ Head Coach Andy Reid.
Wallace, a high school sophomore, told The Kansas City Star how the 65-year-old helped others after the mass shooting, which left one person dead and 22 others injured, according to Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves.
“Andy Reid was trying to comfort me, which was nice,” an emotional Wallace told The Kansas City Star. “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.”
The teen said Reid, also known as “Big Red,” then “left to check on other people.”
Wallace attended the parade with his friend Hank Hunter when shots were fired by Union Station shortly after players left the stage. After being separated from Hunter, Wallace said Reid comforted him inside the station after a security guard directed him inside.
“The security guard was like, ‘Get over the damn fence right now. There’s a shooter,’ ” Wallace told the outlet.
It would be half an hour before Gabe and Hank reunited on the corner of Main Street and Pershing Road, what had been the day’s last stop of the Chiefs’ victory parade. As they spoke, both wearing red No. 95 Chris Jones jerseys, they had yet to connect with their other friends.
NFL reporter Albert Breer shared how multiple Chiefs players also comforted young fans and tried to calm them down.
He wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, “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.”
“Smith went to one upset kid, gave him the WWE title belt and sat with him til he calmed down,” he added.
Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a mother of two who worked as a DJ, died in the shooting.
“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,” KKFI 90.1 FM, Lopez-Galvan’s employer, said in a statement.
“Our hearts and prayers are with her family. We encourage anyone who feels they saw something to reach out to law enforcement at 816 234 5111. This senseless act has taken a beautiful person from her family and this KC Community,” it concluded.
Speaking in a press conference Wednesday, Police Chief Graves said three people were detained and are “under investigation for today’s incident.”
“Right now we do not have a motive,” she added.
Kansas City Fire Chief Ross Grundyson said that the injured included “eight immediately life-threatening, seven life-threatening and six were minor injuries.” The injured were transported to three different hospitals: Children’s Mercy, Truman Medical and St. Luke’s.
Following the shooting, many Chiefs players sent prayers to the victims involved.
“Praying for Kansas City,” wrote quarterback Mahomes, 28, on X, while tight end Kelce, 34, added, “I am heartbroken over the tragedy that took place today. My heart is with all who came out to celebrate with us and have been affected. KC, you mean the world to me.”
The Chiefs released a statement shortly after the shooting and confirmed that “all of our players, coaches, staff and their families are safe and accounted for.”
“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. Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and all of Kansas City,” the statement read.
A woman attending the parade with friends told People, “I saw two people bleeding on the ground and we got out of there as fast as we could run.”