A Kansas City Chiefs fan who was at the Super Bowl parade when gunshots went off is speaking out, explaining how much that incident affected him and his family.
Law enforcement has claimed that the shooting stemmed from a dispute between several individuals. Two juveniles were taken into custody and charged with resisting arrest and possession of firearms. Later, two adults were charged with murder. It is believed the two juveniles were told to attend a hearing to determine if they would be tried as adults.
The mass shooting killed one and left nearly two dozen others injured, including 12 children.
Kansas City Chiefs Fan Says Mass Shooting Ruined The Super Bowl Win
59-year-old Mike Nigro attended the Super Bowl Victory parade in Kansas City on February 14 alongside his son, Michael, 36, and three of his four grandchildren: Haley, 10, Sawyer, 10, and Finn, 8.
Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a day of celebration, turned into a day of tragedy as gunshots were fired shortly after the parade ended.
“It was worse than a punch in the gut. It was like it took the thrill of the Super Bowl away. It put everything in perspective. How awful, how evil, how wrong,” Mike told PEOPLE. “And I was really taken back. I’m a person of faith. I went right into prayer. I prayed for these people: God, don’t let anyone die. And unfortunately, a wonderful person, a DJ here in town, a mother, she did pass away.”
Mother of two and DJ at a local Kansas City radio station, Lisa Lopez-Galvan, died in the mass shooting. She also raised funds for Latino community events and organizations, organized toy drives for children battling cancer, and assisted with college scholarships. She was 43.
An online fundraiser to raise money for the Lopez-Galvan family was created.
Super Bowl Shooting Affected Kansas City Chiefs Fans Everywhere
Something that sticks with Mike is how much the kids were looking forward to this big day of celebration.
“The kids were like, ‘I’m getting up at 5:00 a.m. with you. We’re going, period.’ And we got there early. And it’s funny because one kid sat with a blanket over them for three hours and the other kids were just waiting at the rail,” he said, adding, “Everything started out great. Players came and high-fived them, the kids had the greatest time ever, and then—”
Following the tragedy, Mike says he can no longer look at the highlights of the Super Bowl or enjoy the big win because all he can think about is the shooting.
“Every day, I’m on my [Instagram] reels looking for Chiefs highlights and on TV, I’m looking for breakdowns of the games,” Mike said, adding, “I didn’t want to see any of that [after the shooting]. I couldn’t watch.”
He told the outlet that “it kind of popped a bubble,” before clarifying, “Not kind of, it did. It was horrible.”
While the mass shooting has changed the way the family looks at the sport, they remain thankful that none of them were injured in the tragedy.
