In the midst of the chaos following the fatal shooting that occurred just as the Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally in Kansas City had wrapped up, head coach Andy Reid stepped in to try to provide comfort to fans trying to comprehend what was happening around them.
In the aftermath of Wednesday’s mass shooting, which claimed the life of one person and left 21 other people injured, Gabe Wallace, a high school sophomore, was separated from his friends and frantic as he ran to safety inside Union Station, according to a report.
There a number of people consoled Wallace, who was wondering whether his friends had been hurt in the shooting, including Reid.
Head coach Andy Reid addresses the crowd on stage during the celebration of the Chiefs winning Super Bowl 2024. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Police clear the area after shots were fired at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade. via REUTERS
“Andy Reid was trying to comfort me, which was nice,” 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.
“He left to check on other people, I’m pretty sure.”
Wallace was reunited with one friend — Hank Hunter — a half hour later in an emotional scene outside Union Station.
“My friends are dead — that’s what’s going through my mind,” Gabe said about his emotions not knowing what happened to his friends. “I’m literally thinking, ‘What if my friends are dead?. … Are they alive, or are they just lying there on the floor just bleeding out?’ I have no idea.”
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that Chiefs players — notably Blaine Gabbert, Trey Smith, Austin Reiter and Chris Oladukun — helped calm children down during the fray.
Medical personnel attend to an injured fan on a stretcher after shots were fired at the Kansas City Chiefs’ parade. via REUTERS
The team confirmed that the players, staff and their families were all accounted for.
Video from the scene showed football fans who had just been enjoying a celebratory afternoon running in fear for their lives as shots rang out.
Three suspects are in custody in connection to the shooting.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade:
The victim who was killed in Wednesday’s shooting has been identified as Lisa Lopez-Galvan, loved ones confirmed to the Kansas City Star.
Lopez-Galvan was a Chiefs super fan and was a mother of two.
Lopez’s two nieces and nephew were also injured, KMBC reported.
Law enforcement responds to the shooting at Kanas City’s Union Station. Getty Images
“I’m angry at what happened today. The people who came to this celebration should expect a safe environment,” Kansas City Police chief Stacey Graves said during a news conference.
“Because of bad actors, which were very few, this tragedy occurred even in the presence of uniformed law enforcement officers.”
Source link: https://nypost.com/2024/02/15/sports/andy-reid-helped-comfort-teen-at-chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting/