Current:Home > MyAlgosensey|Chiefs players comfort frightened children during Super Bowl parade mass shooting -Ascend Finance Compass
Algosensey|Chiefs players comfort frightened children during Super Bowl parade mass shooting
Charles H. Sloan View
Date:2025-04-11 06:28:51
When gunshots were fired at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl parade on AlgosenseyValentine's Day, panic ensued with people running in every direction to get to safety. A beloved local DJ died and 21 others were wounded, according to police.
The Chiefs and their entire staff were quickly ushered to safety, but multiple players and head coach Andy Reid comforted others before they were escorted from the scene.
Multiple Chiefs players calmed frightened children during the chaos, including quarterback Blaine Gabbert, tackle Trey Smith, long snapper James Winchester, center Austin Reiter and quarterback Chris Oladukun. Smith even went to one kid, sat with him and gave him a WWE title belt.
Smith and another player found shelter in a closet, he told Good Morning America, helping as many people as possible do the same.
"Right before I run in there, there's a little kid in front of me, so I just grabbed him and yanked him up and said, 'You're hopping in here with me, buddy,'" Smith said. "I don't know how many people were in the closet, maybe 20-plus.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
"One of my teammates, my long snapper James Winchester, was very instrumental in helping keep people calm."
After exiting the closet, Smith said the players were ushered to team buses. On the way, he saw a small boy who was "hysterical" and stopped to talk to him.
"He just panicked. He was scared. He doesn't know what's going on," Smith said. "I had the WWE belt the entire parade and I was thinking, 'What can I do to help him out?' I just handed him the belt and said, 'Hey buddy, you're the champion. No one is gonna hurt you. No one's gonna hurt you, man. We got your back.'"
Reiter’s agent Nodirbek Talipov called the players heroes.
"They risked their lives to attend to kids and calm them down without really knowing what’s coming next," Talipov told USA TODAY Sports.
'Heartbroken':Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs players react to shooting
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid also helped comfort at least one teenager at the scene, according to the Kansas City Star.
"Andy Reid was trying to comfort me, which was nice," Gabe Wallace, a sophomore at a local high school told the 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."
veryGood! (4642)
Related
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Ex of man charged with shooting Palestinian students had police remove his gun from her home in 2013
- Peruvian rainforest defender from embattled Kichwa tribe shot dead in river attack
- RHOA's Kandi Burruss Teases Season 16 Cast Shakeup—Including the Return of One Former Costar
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Members of global chemical weapons watchdog vote to keep Syria from getting poison gas materials
- New evidence proves shipwreck off Rhode Island is Captain Cook's Endeavour, museum says
- A Students for Trump founder has been charged with assault, accused of hitting woman with gun
- Average rate on 30
- Shane MacGowan, irascible frontman of The Pogues, has died at age 65
Ranking
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- Academy Sports is paying $2.5 million to families of a serial killer’s victims for illegal gun sales
- Jonathan Majors' trial on domestic violence charges is underway. Here's what to know.
- Nearly 2 months into the war, many Israelis have no idea if their relatives are dead or alive
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Mystery dog illness: What to know about the antibiotic chloramphenicol as a possible cure
- Why Khloe Kardashian “Can’t Imagine” Taking a Family Christmas Card Photo Anymore
- Young humpback whale leaps out of Seattle bay, dazzling onlookers
Recommendation
Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
A deadline for ethnic Serbs to sign up for Kosovo license plates has been postponed by 2 weeks
Veterinarians say fears about 'mystery' dog illness may be overblown. Here's why
Applications for jobless benefits up modestly, but continuing claims reach highest level in 2 years
New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
For a male sexual assault survivor, justice won in court does not equal healing
Russia’s Lavrov faces Western critics at security meeting, walks out after speech
USC's Bronny James cleared to return to basketball 4 months after cardiac arrest