Two adults and two minors have been charged in relation to the shootings that took place during the rally held at Union Station Feb. 14 to honor the Chiefs Super Bowl win against the San Francisco 49ers. Millions showed up for the parade and rally, but gunshots cut the celebration short, leaving one person dead and 24 others injured.
The adults charged were identified as Dominic M. Miller, 18, of Kansas City, and Lyndell Mays, 23, of Raytown, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office. As of Saturday, March 2, both the suspects were hospitalized after being struck by gunfire. Each face Murder in the second degree, two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
The Associated Press reported that court documents said ballistics showed that Miller fired the bullet that killed Elizabeth Lopez-Galvan, 43. Mays shot first.
Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office
“Defendant Mays was in a verbal argument with another individual, now that argument very quickly escalated to Mays drawing his firearm, a handgun,” Jackson County, Missouri, prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a press conference Thursday. “Mays pulled his handgun first. Almost immediately, almost immediately, others pulled their firearms.”
She said Mays, who was shot nine times in the altercation, now faces life in prison. His two years of probation had ended in February, according to the Associated Press.
“Now today, regarding Mr. Mays, he is in custody, and he faces the following charges, murder in the second degree, felony murder, the underlying felony of unlawful use of a weapon. And this is, of course, an A felony, the highest charge has available, and it brings up to a life sentence.”
A Belton, Missouri, police statement said Mays displayed a handgun during a basketball game dispute at a community center. Mays entered a guilty plea on Feb. 8, 2022, for disorderly conduct and was given two years of probation, the AP reported.
Galvan, who was known locally as radio host and DJ Lisa Lopez, was married with two children. By Feb. 16, more than $300,000 were raised through a GoFundMe for Galvan’s family. These donations included a $100,000 donation from singer Taylor Swift.
Her family released a statement thanking law enforcement.
“On behalf of the Lopez-Galvan family, we are grateful to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office led by Jean Peters Baker and her amazing team of highly experienced and dedicated prosecutors. We also want to thank the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department and all other law enforcement departments involved in this investigation. The effort and dedicated hours spent to expeditiously investigate this senseless act of violence is extremely commendable. It is reassuring for our family and the entire community to know that this joint team effort has resulted in the identification of the suspects involved. Though it does not bring back our beloved Lisa, it is comforting to know that the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office and the KCPD made it a top priority to seek justice for Lisa, the other shooting victims, those who had to witness this tragedy unfold and the Kansas City community.”
The majority of the shooting victims were under 16 years of age. The injured ranged from 8 to 47 years old. According to Children’s Mercy Hospital, nine children had gunshot wounds. As of Feb. 21, Children’s Mercy said all the child victims had been discharged and were expected to recover.
The crowd at the rally is estimated to have been around 1 million people, according to the Associated Press. This was not an act of terrorism, but rather a dispute that ended up leaving many injured, according to the Kansas City Missouri Police Department.
