Super Bowl parade mass shooting hero speaks: ‘I hit him in the ribs’
A man who tackled an alleged gunman during the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory parade has spoken out, as police ruled out terror as a factor in the deadly day. Warning: Graphic.
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The heroic Kansas City Chiefs fan who helped stop one of the alleged shooters at the team’s Super Bowl Parade where one person was killed, tackled the man to the ground without stopping to think as his wife grabbed the gun.
Trey Filter heard somebody shout “Get him!” seconds before he saw a flash of white speeding through a panicked crowd of revellers who were ducking for cover after gunshots rang out.
“My brain tells me, ‘That must be him’,” Filter told the New York Post hours after the shooting that left one dead and 22 others – including nine children – injured.
“I literally remember when I was tackling him, ‘I sure hope this is who they were yelling at me to get.’ Because I just went, ‘boom!’ … I really don’t recall seeing him coming.”
The man was one of three people arrested after the shooting.
In a now-viral video, Filter can be seen leaping on the fleeing man and dragging him to the ground, preventing him from sprinting into the sea of confused and terrified attendees.
The suspected gunman quickly wriggled free but was immediately tackled again by a second Chiefs fan, who somersaulted in the dirt with the man in a desperate attempt to keep him at bay.
That’s when Filter jumped back into the fray and began pummeling the alleged gunman’s ribs while his wife, Casey, lunged for the gun that the fleeing man dropped during the struggle.
Filter believes the weapon was an AK-47 assault rifle, but police would not confirm when asked by The Post.
“I don’t know if I knocked him out when I tackled him or what, but I had him squeezed so hard he might have been passed out all the time for all I know. I just started racking him in his ribs,” Filter recalled.
The second Chiefs fan, who Filter said was a complete stranger, delivered several blows to the alleged gunman in the face, which Filter said he never got a chance to see.
Bystanders were screaming that the man had a gun and Filter, not knowing that his wife had already neutralised the threat, continued searching the man for a firearm.
“I was just yelling, ‘F**k your gun!’ and I was just hitting him in his ribs. It was great. You know, America stuff,” Filter said.
Police arrived in less than a minute and nabbed the alleged gunman, said Filter.
Breaking Video of Heroic Kansas City fans tackling one of the shooters pic.twitter.com/cAxL9Kox8d
— Fantasy Fanatics (@FFB_Fanatics) February 14, 2024
Filter stood up to a round of applause, looked around for his two sons and plainly said: “Get your mother, we’re getting the f**k out of here.”
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said the attack was not terror-related but rather “appeared to be a dispute between several people that ended in gunfire”.
Two of the three suspects are juveniles, she said.
TRAVIS’ HEARTBREAK AFTER PARADE SHOOTING
Kansas City Chiefs’ champion tight end Travis Kelce spoke about his heartbreak over the Valentines’s Day parade shooting.
Shots rang shortly after Kelce, 34, and superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, 28, left the stage, sending the crowd of around one million people into a panic.
Kelce, the boyfriend of pop star Taylor Swift, took to X/Twitter to express his heartbreak.
“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,” he said.
Chiefs’ linebacker Drue Tranquill took to X/Twitter to offer a prayer for the victims: “Please join me in prayer for all the victims in this heinous act. Pray that doctors & first responders would have steady hands & that all would experience full healing.”
VICTIM IDENTIFIED
Mother of two and a Kansas City Chiefs fan was identified as the dead victim.
Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a DJ, died during surgery at a local hospital for a gunshot wound to her abdomen, loved ones confirmed to the Kansas City Star.
“She was the most wonderful, beautiful person,” Lisa Lopez, a longtime friend (no relation) told the Kansas City Star.
“She was a local DJ. She did everybody’s weddings. We all know her. She was so full of life.”
The traumatic scene unfolded after Swift touched down in Melbourne for her Eras Tour concerts.
“At the conclusion of the rally there were shots fired west of Union Station near the garage and several people were struck,” said Capt. Jake Becchina, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department.
Kansas City fire department chief Ross Grundyson provided an update on the state of the victims at a packed press conference on Thursday (AEDT).
“We had eight what we considered immediately life-threatening patients, we had seven with life-threatening injuries, and had six that had minor injuries,” Mr Grundyson said.
Earlier, a spokeswoman for Children’s Mercy hospital told AFP that it was treating at least 12 people – 11 of them children, nine for gunshot wounds.
Kansas City Police Department took to on X/Twitter shortly after the first shots were fired to warn people to flee: “Shots have been fired around Union Station. Please leave the area.”
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said all the Chiefs’ players, coaches and staff were safe and accounted for, which was later confirmed by the team in a statement.
“We are truly saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred outside Union Station at the conclusion of today’s parade and rally,” the team said in the statement.
“Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and all of Kansas City.”
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and the first lady were at the parade when shots were fired but are safe, Parson posted on X.
The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting and received regular updates.
Photos showed police arresting a male dressed in red and several people being taken away in stretchers.
“We need people to exit the area as quickly and safely as possible and avoid the parking garage in order to facilitate treatment of shooting victims,” Kansas Police Sgt Jake Becchina said.
The crowd scattered and people took cover as gunfire erupted.
Police started a reunification centre to reunite children separated in the chaos with their families.
Sam Castro, 18, said he saw people running out of Union Station a little before 2pm local time.
“We just got here, so it’s kind of crazy,” he said.
Originally published as Super Bowl parade mass shooting hero speaks: ‘I hit him in the ribs’
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