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Suspected Kansas City Chiefs parade shooter picked a target at random during dispute, then started shooting: Court docs
February 21, 2024
One of the suspected Kansas City Super Bowl parade shooters told police he was "just being stupid" when he allegedly started shooting indiscriminately into a crowd full of kids, according to court documents.
Lyndell Mays, 23, and Dominic Miller, 18 — two of the suspects Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) called "thugs," to the chagrin of Kansas City's Democratic Mayor Quinton Lucas — have both been charged with murder in relation to the horrific Valentine's Day shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' victory parade.
The afternoon shooting claimed the life of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a 43-year-old mother of two, and grievously wounded at least 24 other people, ages ranging from 8 to 47.
The murder charges come just days after a pair of teens were charged with gun-related offenses as well as with resisting arrest in connection with the parade shooting. More arrests may yet be made as the investigation progresses.
According to court documents, Mays was found after the bloodletting just north of West Pershing Road and Kessler Road, suffering from a gunshot wound. Shell casings were located next to his person along with a stolen Glock 9mm handgun. The gun contained a 15-round magazine with six live rounds remaining, including one that was chambered.
Court documents indicate Mays admitted to police that "he drew a gun first, in a crowd of people with kids, picked one of the individuals in the group at random, and started shooting, all because they said, 'I'm going to get you,' and to him, that meant, 'I'm going to kill you.'"
When pressed on why he advanced on the group of males to begin with, Mays allegedly told police, "Stupid, man. Just pulled a gun out and started shooting. I shouldn't have done that. Just being stupid."
A female witness who was with Mays when the shooting began west of Union Station reportedly told police that "a group of four males approached Lyndell Mays, and one of the males asked Lyndell Mays what he was looking at, because they didn't know him."
The female witness' boyfriend told police that Mays and a group of individuals were "arguing about why they were staring at each other." He indicated that while it was clear the confrontational males had in their possession a firearm, "at no time did the individual touch the firearm or make any threatening statements" to him, his girlfriend, or Mays.
The female witness claimed that upon spotting firearms, she begged Mays to leave. After her supposed attempt at de-escalation, she allegedly turned her back on Lyndell and the other men, at which point she heard gunshots.
Jacob Gooch Sr., a man who took a bullet at the parade along with members of his family, told "CBS Mornings" last week that prior to the shooting, he heard a girl begging one alleged shooter, "Don't do it. Not here. This is stupid."
Gooch indicated that his daughter observed the alleged shooter break free of the woman, then begin "shooting and spinning in a circle."
Court documents suggest surveillance footage confirms that Mays played a lead role in escalating the situation.
"Lyndell Mays starts to approach the individuals in an aggressive manner, at which time Witness 9 puts her hand on Lyndell Mays in an attempt to stop him from advancing further," says the court documents. "It appears Witness 9 and Lyndell Mays continue to verbally argue with individuals in the group."
After yelling at the other men and pointing his finger at them "in an angry manner," Mays allegedly circled "behind a person and pull[ed] out a handgun with his right hand and point[ed] it at one of the individuals," none of whom apparently had yet produced a firearm.
Mays allegedly chased after an unarmed individual with his gun drawn, prompting the other men to pull out their guns and then start shooting. In the melee, Mays apparently caught a bullet to the side of the head.
While it appears that Mays may have started the shooting, court documents indicate that the bullet that killed Lisa Lopez-Galvan was fired from a Taurus G3 9mm — "the firearm Miller acknowledged possessing and firing." Court documents indicate that Mays was initially tackled and detained by a witness.
Blaze News previously reported that two heroic dads at the parade chased down one of the suspected shooters and held him until police arrived.
Mays and Miller each face charges of second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon. They are both being held on a $1 million bond.
Lopez-Galvan's family said in a statement Tuesday, "The effort and dedicated hours spent to expeditiously investigate this senseless act of violence is extremely commendable. It is reassuring for our family and the entire community to know that this joint team effort has resulted in the identification of the suspects involved."
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Joseph MacKinnon is a staff writer for Blaze News.
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