A man who was filmed tackling one of three gunmen at Kansas City’s Super Bowl parade has detailed his exploits in a comprehensive interview.
Together with his daughter, 46-year-old Paul Contreras recalled the adrenaline rush that 23-year-old Alyssa captured on her phone moments after her father took action.
Alyssa was visiting from Nebraska and continued to film as the shooter was arrested – after apparently trying to flee the hectic scene on foot.
Several parade goers within earshot noticed this and shouted for others to stop his progress. Contreras heard these calls and didn’t think twice before firing at the suspect, he said.
Officers, meanwhile, said they have placed two others in handcuffs but have not yet contacted Contreras, he said. He recalled how a gun fell from the suspect’s hands after police said they had seized at least one assault weapon at one of the scenes. Their investigation is still ongoing and all suspects are now in custody.
Scroll down for video:
Together with his daughter, 46-year-old Paul Contreras recalled the encounter, which 23-year-old Alyssa managed to capture on her phone as her father took action.
Alyssa continued to film the shooter being arrested after he apparently tried to flee on foot
“One guy yelled and said, ‘Stop him, catch him, tackle him or whatever,’” Contreras recalled, while footage from others showed the actual tackle in real time.
“And he’s barely running,” he continued. “And out of nowhere I hear this guy screaming, so I just think, ‘Okay, I’m here.'”
The dutiful father continued, “I didn’t think about it. It’s just a reaction. I didn’t hesitate, just do it.’
Finally, after what he said seemed like an eternity, the officers came to the good Samaritan’s aid.
He then described the entire ordeal in depth, recalling how he and another man took it upon themselves to protect the rest of the crowd moments after the gunfire broke out.
Contreras told his home station KETV 7 Omaha: ‘So I went to tackle him and another gentleman did the same.
“And as I tackle him,” he continued, “I see that a gun has fallen from his hand, or from his sleeve – because he was wearing a long coat, like a Carhartt.”
“So when I see that hit the ground,” he continued, “I think, you know, we gotta take this guy down.”
Finally, after what he said seemed like an eternity, the officers came to the good Samaritan’s aid
General view of Union Station where the shooting took place just after the team took the stage around 3:30 p.m
“And so I did, like I said, and another good Samaritan, and we held him down,” Contreras said, his daughter appearing visibly distraught as he spoke.
He continued, “And it seemed like forever, but it was probably 30 seconds – holding him.
“And me and the other gentleman are shouting and saying, ‘Where are the police?’ You know, “Get the police here, get the police here. We’ve got him.”‘
Within a minute, he said, officers arrived — and were quickly filmed by Alyssa and several others as they descended on the suspect.
The man, who has yet to be identified, appears to be at least one of three believed to have carried out the attack, which occurred shortly after the Patrick Mahomes-led team took the stage around 3:30 p.m.
Contreras and his daughter recalled hearing the sound of gunfire around that time, leading to the unrest that culminated when he crossed paths with one of the suspected gunmen.
Other attendees were able to capture different angles of Contreras and the actions of his unknown accomplice.
Other attendees were able to capture different angles of Contreras and the actions of his unknown accomplice
They are seen dragging the alleged shooter to the ground before proudly proclaiming, “We have the gun.” Officers can be seen coming to the aid of the two men
Paul further told the ABC affiliate that he saw a gun fall from the alleged shooter’s hands during the struggle
“We’re fighting each other, you know. We fight to keep him down and he fights to get up.”
“You can’t be afraid, you know,” he said, when KETV later reported that the father and daughter were headed to Omaha. ‘I’m not saying you want it to happen, but that chance is always there. work, the supermarket. This just happened to be the Super Bowl Parade’
They are seen dragging the alleged shooter to the ground before shouting, “We have the gun.”
Paul further told the ABC affiliate that he saw a gun fall from the hand of one of the alleged shooters during the struggle.
“The whole time he’s fighting to get up and run,” he recalls.
“We’re fighting each other, you know. We fight to keep him down and he fights to get up.”
Faced with the life-and-death connotations of the battle, he said he remained calm.
“You can’t be scared, you know,” he said, as KETV later reported that the father and daughter were on their way back to Omaha.
‘I’m not saying you want it to happen, but that chance is always there. It can happen at work, at the grocery store,” he said. “This happened to be the Super Bowl Parade.”
The police investigation is still ongoing and, apart from the arrests, has not yet yielded anything concrete.
More than 800 police officers, 600 of whom were from the Kansas City Police Department, were called and more than 21 people were injured.
The Kansas City Star reported that 44-year-old DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan was the only fatality from the incident, after close friends confirmed the mother of two died during surgery at a hospital from a gunshot wound to her abdomen.
The suspects’ motives remained unclear Wednesday and police are expected to provide an update in the coming hours. At least nine of the injured were children.