I wanted to post this sooner but the truth is I was just too upset. There was a mass shooting in my hometown on Wednesday, Valentine’s Day. It happened just about fifteen miles from my home. My husband and I were invited by friends to go to the parade with them but we opted to watch from home. It turns out we made a lucky choice. At least twenty-two people were injured or shot, at least twelve of those people were children, and nine of those children, ages six to fifteen, were shot. A beloved local DJ was shot and killed. So far, her heartbreaking and unfortunate passing has been the only fatality reported. This has hit me very hard. It has devastated our community like these senseless shootings have throughout the nation over the last twenty-five years. The aftermath of one of these shootings lasts in the hearts of all those in the community for years and years. I watched it unfold live on television and I have to say, I immediately thought of the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack by Darrell Brooks in 2022. I had always considered my town incredibly lucky that we hadn’t had such an incident. (It’s actually a large city, Kansas City is a metropolis that spans across state lines to both the Kansas and Missouri sides, at least a million people were at the parade, that’s what the news said anyway, making up a little less than half of the metro population.) But, in the forty-plus years I’ve lived here since birth (minus three years in the middle of all that when I moved to California with my husband for a few years) we hadn’t experienced a whole lot of this kind of crime. Yes, there are crimes here in KC. There is crime everywhere people are. But the kind of crime that falls into the “mass shooting” category was very rare until the past few years. In fact, 2023 was the deadliest year here in KC with violent crime at an all-time high. And yesterday, on Valentine’s Day, we had one of the worst crimes in the city in my lifetime. Certainly, the worst one I have heard about in a long, long time. We became yet another town included in the horrifying statistic of mass shooting incidents. The parade started a little after 11:00 am. It was a great day. The sun was shining, the weather was gorgeous, and the whole community was either there or tuned in to local channels to watch the festivities and celebrate the back-to-back Super Bowl win of our beloved Kansas City Chiefs. Families poured into the Power & Light District (the bar district in our town) and lined the streets with friends and family just to get a glimpse of our champions and maybe an autograph. Music was playing, confetti was booming out of confetti cannons, everyone was cheering and kids and fans were cheering and high-fiving our superstars. The players, coaches, and staff were all there along with the Mayor, the Governor, and other Missouri legislators. All of them were with their families at the event. We had the parade and watched as these famous NFL players walked along the streets interacting and celebrating with fans and families of the community. It was beautiful. We were all so proud and excited. The celebratory parade is something we all look forward to every Championship win. This was our fourth Super Bowl win. The third with this roster and the first back-to-back Super Bowl win in franchise history. The parade went off without a hitch and led directly into a Chiefs celebration rally. At the rally we heard from our famous Mitch Holthus, the voice of the Chiefs as he talked about the season we had and introduced several guest speakers and franchise staff. Everyone made their speeches acknowledging our win, the players and staff, and the community of loyal fans. We had Tech Nine performing some KC anthems they wrote for the city. Once the players had made all their speeches and expressed their love and gratitude for the fans and community, they played the Tomahawk Chop anthem one more time and we all did our famous Chop in time with the music and our players. Confetti burst into the air from both sides of the stage and the crowd cheered one last time. For just a few hours, we put aside our differences and disagreements, gathered ourselves in proud Kansas City fashion and tradition, and celebrated our team, our city, and our victory. Then without any warning, people began to run frantically for cover, many seeking shelter in Union Station which had been closed off to allow the building to be used as a gathering and staging area for the players, franchise staff, and their families. Within a mere few seconds, a jubilant, beautiful, and heartwarming event turned into a massive crime scene, wounding many, killing one, and striking at the core of the entire community. In the following twenty-four hours, we learned of the children injured, the adults wounded, and the precious life that was lost, Ms. Lisa Lopez-Galvan. We learned of citizens helping those injured and assisting police by apprehending one of the feeling suspects. The police response was massive and immediate. There were 850 law enforcement personnel at the parade and rally. Multiple agencies contributed not only to event security but also to the rapid response we all witnessed. Our law enforcement and medical community did the best they could and having that many officers on site made intervention, rescue, and apprehension that much easier and faster, allowing the situation to be resolved as quickly as possible. We also learned that the police have two suspects in custody. A third was initially detained and then released. We have not been told who the suspects are or their ages. However, we have been told that the two suspects in custody are minors. We have also been informed that this was an incident that arose out of some sort of disagreement or argument between people in attendance, presumably the two suspects. This is a very dark time in KC history. We are all grieving the loss of a community member, the injuries to others, the children hurt, and the trauma inflicted on the whole community. A number of the Chiefs, players and staff, have reached out on social media offering prayers and sharing in the town’s sorrow and despair. Several different organizations and President Biden have reached out as well. Our Mayor has said that we will continue to have our community celebrations and parades. I agree. If we don’t continue with these public community events then the bad guys win. We can’t allow them to scare us out of our own joy, safety, and security. And a current Jackson County legislator has already called for gun reform, as has the Mayor, or so it seemed from his comments on Wednesday afternoon and evening. I am a lifelong resident of this town. My whole family grew up here. It’s a very red state although this town itself is a blue city. I am a gun owner. And I don’t have a problem with gun reform at all. I don’t say this to start some sort of political beatdown on this post in the comments. Now is not the time to attack people for their political beliefs. This is about people and safety. Nobody in any town should be afraid to leave their homes and go to events with their families and friends. And this argument that it takes good guys with guns to protect the community, those good guys with guns should be the police. I live in a state where you don’t even need a permit to carry a concealed weapon. There were at least a million people at that parade. I guarantee many were armed. And even with all those “good guys with guns” including both law enforcement and citizens, nobody was able to stop a mass shooting that happened right out in the wide open and took only a matter of seconds. So, logically, just more guns cannot be a viable solution. This is something that has scarred all of us. It has put a giant cloud over our hearts, our city, our team, and our championship win. This year’s parade and Super Bowl will always be associated with this horrific tragedy. But this is not who we are. And this tragedy will not define us. We are Kansas City. We will heal. We will continue to move forward. We will get justice. And we will work for change. We are KC Strong. And we always will be. To everyone here at home, to all the Chiefs players, coaches, and staff, to all the injured and their families: Please know this is not your fault. This is the fault of two people who recklessly and selfishly chose to violate the sanctity, safety, and joy of one of our community’s most beloved and brightest moments. I hope that everyone recovers quickly and that the emotional, psychological, and physical scars fade and heal in time. And I hope that we can come together as a community to do our best to see that this doesn’t ever happen again. We wish everyone nothing but the very best. Our hearts are with you, always. With KC love, The Horror Report Family *****UPDATE*****
Two teens have been charged in connection with the KC Chiefs Parade shooting. They are still in custody in the KCMO Juvenile Detention Center. Their names have not been released. Suspects are believed to be 15-17 years old but I have yet to confirm that. Surviving victims range in ages from 8-47 years old. *****NOTE***** I chose not to post images or video of the crowd or shooting out of respect for those that were injured, those that were there in attendance, our team, and our town.
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AuthorThe Countess of the Crypt Archives
February 2024
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