Wednesday’s Super Bowl Parade for the Kansas City Chiefs- an event meant for celebration and togetherness-quickly turned into devastation and a wake up call.
On Sunday, Chiefs were able to clinch their third Super Bowl victory in five seasons, staging a remarkable comeback to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime.
Trailing by 10 points, quarterback Patrick Mahomes orchestrated a game-tying drive in regulation. In overtime, he secured the win with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman. The victory solidified the Chiefs as a football dynasty, achieving back-to-back championships for the first time in two decades and highlighting their dominance in the NFL.
Following the victory, a parade was set for Valentine’s Day in Kansas City at 11 a.m. Little did anyone know that around 2:00 p.m., tragedy would strike.
Chiefs players and fans united that morning for a celebratory parade.. Than everything changed with one very sound. One incredibly alarming sound. Gun shots were heard at Union Station, sending the crowd into panic.
Thankfully, first responders were present on the scene, lending a helping hand to victims. If they hadn’t been at the rally, there would not have been such a quick response reaction.
Around two dozen people were taken to the hospital for treatment. The verdict was that 21 of them were injured, facing life threatening injuries.
Tragically, one of the victims was killed: Lisa Lopez-Galvan, the host of “Taste of Tejano”, a radio station based in Kansas City.
The authorities took three people into custody, however the motive for the shooting was not confirmed. Whether it was possibly out of mental illness or anger that the Chiefs won is unknown.
Travis Kelce, the NFL’s latest heartthrob, took to social media to express his condolences: “My heart is with all who came out to celebrate with us and have been affected. KC, you mean the world to me.”
However, President Biden had a different response: calling for action to limit gun violence.
Biden’s statement resonated with many people, as the shooting was a wake up call: a reminder that gun violence still persists. The minimal actions taken by the U.S. over the years are coming to surface.
Maybe instead of complaining on social media about trivial news, such as Taylor Swift being shown on the big screen at a game, or theorizing why Travis Kelce was yelling at Andy Reid on the sidelines, the public should focus on the real news at hand: America has other issues that need to be resolved that even go beyond gun violence.
Let’s talk about real news.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Kansas City community demonstrated a remarkable sense of resilience and support for one another. It’s crucial, now more than ever, to come together as a society and reflect on deeper issues we face as a society. We’ve seen gun violence in schools, concerts, and out on the streets, but now it’s making its way into sports.
When will it end?
We should work towards channeling our energy into meaningful conversations about unity, mental health, and the root causes of violence. Only through open conversation and efforts can we hope to create a safer world.
Hopefully, now that the football season is over, it will be easier to have these serious conversations.
How many more incidents of gun violence are we going to tolerate before a change is made?
