From glory to tragedy.
On Wednesday, February 14, nine people were injured and one person was killed during a mass shooting in Kansas City following the Chiefs Super Bowl parade.
Manny Abarca, a legislator from Jackson County, Missouri, attended the event with his daughter, and recalled what occurred during the terrifying incident.
Before chaos ensued, Abarca attended the rally at Union Station, where the team addressed the crowd and celebrated the big win for the city. Abarca even described the gathering as an exciting “social hour” before it took a horrifying turn.
When the rally concluded, the politician and the “rest of the team went inside” to the transportation center, where they went to board buses.
“And then we heard screaming,” Abarca recounted. “We saw a rush of people. It became very clear there was a threat.”
Abarca and his daughter then ran “crying and screaming” alongside the rest of the team to a restaurant nearby in hopes of finding safety.
“I saw members of the Hunt family [who own the team], Coach [Andy] Reid and his family, players running toward the same direction,” he shared. “We sat quietly as we hoped no one would come in.”
The Kansas City Police Department confirmed gunshots were fired near the west end of Union Station. A local radio station later revealed local DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan died in the shooting.
Law enforcement announced for everyone to “leave the area” in a social media statement, noting, “Officers are working to clear Union Station itself. We will release everyone inside the building once that is complete.”
As OK! previously reported, many of the prominent names in the Chiefs community have commented on the horrific event.
"Praying for Kansas City … 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽. Shooting people is never the answer. Praying for Kansas City & America in general, this is rough," Super Bowl winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes wrote on X.
The quarterback's wife, Brittany Mahomes, also released a statement on her Instagram Story.
"Shooting people is never the answer. Praying for Kansas City and America in general, this is rough," she penned.
Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill also touched shared a message, writing, "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."
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Missouri Governor Mike Parson, who was at the parade, also shared information to the public.
"State law enforcement personnel are assisting local authorities in response efforts," he said. "As we wait to learn more, our hearts go out to the victims."
NBC News spoke with Abarca.
