Andy Reid ‘hugged a worried high school student’ caught up in Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting, as teenager admits he ‘had no idea if my friends were OK’
A Kansas City high school student said Chiefs coach Andy Reid hugged him when a shooting occurred during the team’s Super Bowl parade on Wednesday.
At least 22 people were shot and one killed after gunmen opened fire in Union Station shortly after 3:30 p.m., according to Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves.
And Gabe Wallace, a sophomore at Shawnee Mission East High School, reportedly said Reid comforted him during the madness.
“Andy Reid tried to comfort me, which was nice,” Wallace told the BBC Kansas City star.
“…He kind of hugged me, just like, ‘Are you okay, man? Is everything all right? Please breathe.” He was really nice and all that. I’m pretty sure he left to check on other people.’
Chiefs coach Andy Reid and owner Clark Hunt celebrate during the parade on Wednesday
People flee after shots are fired near Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory parade
Speak with Star columnist Sam McDowellWallace said he had “no idea if my friends were okay.”
“My friends are dead – that’s what’s going through my mind,” he recalled afterwards.
“I literally think, ‘What if my friends are dead? … Are they still alive, or are they just lying there on the ground bleeding?’ I have no idea.’
He was later reunited with his friend Hank Hunter, from whom he was separated during the gunfire.
The teen said a security guard told him to “get over the damn fence” to get to safety, punching his face in the process.
Police evacuated Union Station as large crowds fled in panic after the shots rang out.
Up to a million people were expected to descend on Kansas City for the parade.
Police arrested two gunmen on the spot as the parade descended into chaos. It is not clear whether the man depicted was involved
Reports indicate that during the tragic celebration, several children were also shot and rushed to nearby Children’s Mercy Hospital.
A man in a red hoodie was pictured being arrested, although it is unclear if he was one of those involved in the shooting.
Video footage has also emerged of brave Chiefs fans tackling one of the suspected gunmen as he tried to flee police.
As seen in a video posted on X, several people hold the suspect while others call for police help.
Officers then arrive at the group and are able to arrest the suspect.