Teenager Gabe Wallace, a sophomore at Shawnee Mission East, was helped by Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid during the chaos of Wednesday's Super Bowl parade shooting. said.
Wallace attended the Chiefs' celebration at Union Station with his friend Hank Hunter and other friends. At that moment, gunshots rang out. The group of friends became separated from each other as everyone hurriedly evacuated. At one point during the panic scene, Wallace said he was injured and bleeding, but Reed was kind enough to help him, Wallace said. kansas city star.
“He kind of hugged me and was like, 'Are you okay?' ” Are you okay? Just breathe,” Wallace recalled.
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Gabe Wallace, a young man from Shawnee Mission East, was startled by the gunfire and immediately jumped over the barricade, unfortunately sustaining a head injury on the concrete. He seemed to have misplaced his friends.
What was going on in his mind? “my… pic.twitter.com/HC7ZsGVHWq
— WorldSport24 (@WorldSport24com) February 15, 2024
Wallace replayed the scene in his head, remembering the stranger's kindness. Receiving support from Reed after a mass shooting was something he never imagined would happen when he went out to celebrate the day.
“Andy Reid tried to comfort me, which was nice,” Wallace told the Kansas City Star. Then his voice cracked and his eyes filled with tears.
Wallace described a brief interaction with the head coach of his favorite team.
“He was really sweet and everything was great.”
PHILADELPHIA – JANUARY 7: Philadelphia Eagles yell from the bench during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on January 7, 2007 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Head Coach Andy Reid. (Photo by Doug Benck/Getty Images)
“He left to check on the others, I'm sure,” he said.
Travis Kelsey's mother, Donna Kelsey, was also at the parade and said she was quickly removed from the dangerous scene, but that wasn't the case for Wallace and his friends.
“Everyone on the team got us out of there real quick,” Donna said, according to the Kansas City Star.
Wallace said he remained inside Union Station, unaware of the fate of his friends.
He described the horror he had experienced.
“My friend is dead, and that's what goes through my head,” Wallace said, according to the Kansas City Star. “I'm literally thinking, 'What if my friend dies?' … Are they alive or just lying on the floor bleeding?” I don't know. “
Police at the scene of Wednesday's Chiefs Super Bowl parade and mass shooting used folding chairs left at Union Station to spell out messages of hope and support for Kansas City. pic.twitter.com/tswjFsrJPs
— KMBC (@kmbc) February 15, 2024
Mr Hunter described his experience as the horrifying scene unfolded.
“We were right in front of the fence, on the far left, right above the barricade, kind of,” he said. “We heard gunshots and there were rumors going around. Everyone started coming down. And me and my friend Gabe jumped over the fence.”
Mr Wallace said he heard “a thump, a thump, a really fast sound” before a security guard yelled, “Get over the fence now!” There's an archer. ”
“That's when my face was glued to the concrete,” Wallace said. (Related article: Travis Kelce accused of partying after Super Bowl parade shooting)
He reunited with Hunter 30 minutes later at the corner of Main Street and Pershing Road after his interaction with Reed.
