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Andy Reid Calls for ‘Togetherness’ in Message to Kansas City’s Youth After Deadly Parade Shooting: ‘You’re Our Future’

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Andy Reid Calls for ‘Togetherness’ in Message to Kansas City’s Youth After Deadly Parade Shooting: ‘You’re Our Future’


Speaking with reporters for the first time since a deadly mass shooting took place at the end of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2024 Super Bowl parade, Andy Reid made a plea to the city’s youth.


“You’re our future,” the Chiefs head coach, 65, told reporters at a press conference Tuesday, per the Associated Press. “And as great as we can make this place, we want to do that. We can turn this, which was a negative, into a real positive. With just a little togetherness and love, we can fix a lot of problems.”


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The Feb. 14 shooting left one woman dead and wounded 22 others. More than half of the victims were under the age of 16, according to local authorities.


Police later arrested and charged Dominic M. Miller, who is 18 or 19 years old, and Lyndell Mays, who is 23 years old, with second-degree murder. Meanwhile, two juveniles who were allegedly involved in the shooting were also arrested and charged with “gun-related” offenses.




A sign made from chairs spelled out “KC STRONG” Thursday afternoon, Feb. 15, 2024, in front of Union Station, the site of a mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally on Wednesday.
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Tammy Ljungblad/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty



On the day of the shooting, Reid was among those offering immediate comfort to children at the scene. “Andy Reid was trying to comfort me, which was nice,” a teenager recalled to The Kansas City Star. “He was kind of hugging me, just like, ‘Are you OK, man? Are you OK? Just please breathe.’ He was being real nice and everything.” 


The teen added that the head coach — who is known as “Big Red” — then “left to check on other people.” 

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Days later, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany, visited the local Children’s Mercy Hospital to meet two young sisters who were shot at the parade. “In a time where they are traumatized, saddened, and worried, having a surprise appearance from Patrick and Brittany Mahomes brought the first smile to their faces since tragedy struck,” the family said in a statement to PEOPLE.


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“Even though they will be wearing casts for several months they are excited to show loved ones that Patrick signed their cast,” they continued.




Law enforcement and medical personnel respond to a shooting at Union Station during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII victory parade on February 14, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. Several people were shot and two people were detained after a rally celebrating the Chiefs Super Bowl victory.

 Jamie Squire/Getty



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Reid’s comments during Tuesday’s press conference at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis “marked the first time anyone from the [Chiefs] organization spoke publicly” since the shooting, the AP reported. The outlet noted that the “team had previously issued a written statement.”


During the conference, Reid also shared his condolences for Lisa Lopez-Galvan, the 43-year-old mother of two who was killed in the shooting. “I want to share my condolences for the Galvan and Lopez family for their loss of Lisa, and for the people of Kansas City,” Reid told reporters, asking them to hold football-related questions until after he spoke about the deadly shooting.


He added, “She was a personality there, and a very good human being, first of all. We’ll all miss her, as I know her family will.”

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Bat Cats defeat Kansas Cannons, 4-1

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Bat Cats defeat Kansas Cannons, 4-1


AUGUSTA — Great Bend Bat Cat Jaxon Bunkers homered, doubled and drove home three runs to spark a 4-1 victory over the Kansas Cannons in Tuesday’s baseball game.

Bat Cats pitcher Quentin Medrano struck out seven batters in five innings. Hoisington’s Lane French threw three shutout innings and Hays native Carter Graham pitched one scoreless inning.

Bat Cat George McCarroll scored on a first-inning wild pitch after reaching base on an error.

Bunkers’ 2-run seventh-inning homer scored Andrugh Yee for a 3-0 lead.

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The Kansas Cannons scored when Talan Barraza’s sacrifice fly scored Colton Petersmith after a seventh-inning triple.

Yee scored on a Jaxon Bunkers double in the ninth inning.

Great Bend 100 000 201 — 4 5 0

Kansas Cannons 000 000 100 — 1 3 1

Medrano, French (6), Graham (9) and Chivira. Reed, Roberts (4), Stephenson (7), Humphreys (9) and Becker. W—Medrano, 1-0. L—Reed, 2B—GB—Bunkers. 3B—KC—Petersmith. HR—GB—Bunkers.

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Commentary: Kansas fans stepped up to prevent a Razorback takeover | Whole Hog Sports

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Commentary: Kansas fans stepped up to prevent a Razorback takeover | Whole Hog Sports





Commentary: Kansas fans stepped up to prevent a Razorback takeover | Whole Hog Sports







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Kansas City Mayor promises new conversion therapy ban amid ongoing fallout | Jefferson City News-Tribune

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Kansas City Mayor promises new conversion therapy ban amid ongoing fallout | Jefferson City News-Tribune


KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is promising a replacement ordinance for the conversion therapy ban the City Council recently repealed.

Lucas, in a virtual town hall Sunday, said that new proposed legislation could be made public as early as Monday. He said a new version of the ordinance would be “among the toughest in the country” that will stand up to legal challenges.

“What we have done over recent weeks is tried to craft, and I think you will see very soon, new legislation that looks to ban harmful therapies that lead to suicides, that lead to self-harm,” Lucas said.

Lucas’ comments come as the fallout continues after the City Council’s recent vote to repeal its ban on conversion therapy, the scientifically discredited practice of attempting to change a gay or transgender person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

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An online petition posted Friday — led by Justice Horn, a candidate for the Jackson County Legislature — aims to ban Lucas and six council members from participating in Kansas City’s Pride Parade. As of Monday morning, more than 400 people have signed the petition.

Lucas did not mention the petition during the town hall, but he said he’s dealt with negative response from constituents before, calling it a “tough part of the job.” He also said the City Council’s communication with the public regarding the plan should have been better, but the city is focused on enacting an ordinance that works.

“I think what we need to do is make sure that we repeal and replace and come up with something that’s better,” Lucas said. “I think we have that, something that’s better, and I expect us to be able to roll that out for you sometime pretty soon.”

U.S. Supreme Court ruling and free speech

The City Council’s vote on May 21 came as the Missouri attorney general’s office is suing the city on behalf of a group of Christian counselors. The case against the city was bolstered by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in March that found a similar ban in Colorado is unconstitutional for limiting free speech. It also likely made the city’s ordinance unenforceable.

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The council members narrowly passed the ordinance repealing the ban with a 7-5 vote, with some voting against the measure as a form of protest. Lucas voted to repeal the ordinance and was joined by council members Ryana Parks-Shaw, Darell Curls, Melissa Robinson, Nathan Willet, Kevin O’Neil and Johnathan Duncan, who faced significant backlash from his constituents.

In response to the court ruling, Colorado lawmakers enacted a new state law that allows people who experience conversion therapy to seek civil lawsuits against organizations so they can claim damages.

New version of conversion therapy ban?

Lucas told the online audience Sunday that Kansas City’s new version of a ban would likely be different. He said the city does not have the legal authority to allow for civil lawsuits because it would require state legislation.

But he noted Kansas City’s previous ban included a criminal law punishment, unlike the Colorado ban, and a new ban would again include that kind of enforcement.

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“We are taking real steps to actually have a stronger ordinance, something that will stand the test within the courts,” Lucas said.



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