Patrick Mahomes visits sisters injured in Super Bowl parade shooting

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany visited two young sisters who were both shot in the legs during Wednesday’s parade for the reigning Super Bowl champions.

The Mahomeses called 10-year-old Madison Reyes and Melia Reyes, 8, Thursday at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, where the two sisters were recovering from their surgeries.

Pictures published by People showed the quarterback and his wife, both 28, smiling and posing next to the Reyes sisters, along with their 13-year-old brother and their parents.

The Reyes family on Wednesday called the shooting “a senseless act” during a celebration of the Chiefs’ third Super Bowl championship in four years. The violence left local DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan – a 43-year-old mother of two – dead, while 22 people were injured.

According to authorities, the victims ranged in age from 8 to 47, with half of them under the age of 16.

“We are avid Chiefs fans and very proud of our home team, both in the highs and lows. “Madison and Melia’s lives have been forever changed since Wednesday’s senseless act,” the Reyes family statement said. People.

“At a time when they are traumatized, saddened and worried, Patrick and Brittany Mahomes’ surprising appearance brought the first smiles to their faces since tragedy struck,” the statement said. “Even though they will be wearing the cast for the next few months, they are happy to show their loved ones that Patrick has signed their cast.

“We would like to thank the Mahomes family for their kindness, care and love for our little ones and ask the community to keep them in their prayers as they navigate through life.”

A GoFundMe campaign for the family has surpassed $185,000 raised from more than 1,400 donors. The donors include Chiefs star Travis Kelce, who donated $100,000 through his charity Eighty-Seven and Running.

Meanwhile, pop superstar Taylor Swift – Kelce’s girlfriend – separately donated $100,000 to Lopez-Galvan’s family.

In response to the shooting, the Chiefs also launched KC Strong, an emergency response fund to support the victims and their families. The fund, which raised more than $546,000 on Saturday morning, plans to do the same support Violence prevention and recovery organizations, along with first responders.

Authorities announced that two juveniles have been charged in connection with the shooting. According to a news release from Jackson County Family Court, the pair were being held on “weapon-related and resisting arrest” charges.

It added that “additional charges are expected in the future as the investigation by the Kansas Police Department continues.”

According to the gun safety group Giffords, Missouri has been described as having “terribly weak gun laws.” Giffords reports that the state lacked concealed carry permits, universal background checks, gun owner permits, assault weapons restrictions and waiting periods.

In 2021, Missouri ranked ninth in firearm deaths nationwide, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.