KANSAS CITY, Mo. – One of the men charged in a Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory celebration shooting that left one person dead and around two dozen others injured had recently come off probation for pulling out a gun during a dispute over a basketball game.
Lyndell Mays, of Raytown, whose two years of probation ended earlier this month, made a first appearance Wednesday in the Feb. 14 shooting outside Kansas City’s historic Union Station. He was dressed from head to toe in orange, his face bandaged, his hands cuffed and ankles shackled.
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Prosecutors announced Tuesday that Mays and another man, Dominic Miller, were charged with second-degree murder and other counts in the shooting that brought a horrific end to what had been a gleeful celebration before a crowd that totaled an estimated 1 million people.
FIRST APPEARANCE
In court, Mays told the judge he had spoken to an attorney, although none was in court with him. Asked if he understood the charges, Miller said yes. The minutes-long appearance ended with the judge setting a Feb. 29 hearing to discuss his $1 million bond.
Mays looked out at the journalists in the crowd as he walked out. There were no victims in the courtroom.
Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said during a news conference Tuesday that her office had no previous interactions with Mays or Miller.
But a statement from Belton police said Mays displayed a handgun during a basketball game dispute at a community center, causing people to run for safety out of the gym. According to court documents in the municipal case, Mays was charged with disorderly conduct in April 2021. He entered a guilty plea on Feb. 8, 2022, and was placed on probation for two years.
THE INVESTIGATION
Miller and Mays, who didn't know each other, were among several people arguing last Wednesday when Mays “pulled his handgun,” leading others to do the same, court records show. Online court records do not list attorneys who can comment for the men.
Authorities also detained two juveniles, charging them with gun-related and resisting arrest charges. Officials have said more charges are possible.
The probable cause statement said Mays picked one of the individuals in the group at random and started shooting because they said, “I’m going to get you,” and to him that meant, “I’m going to kill you.”
He told police other people started shooting only after he fired first.
“Stupid, man,” he told police. “Just pulled a gun out and started shooting. I shouldn’t have done that. Just being stupid.”
Mays was shot, and a Glock 9 mm handgun that had been reported stolen was found near him. There were six live rounds in its magazine, which had a capacity of 15, and one in the chamber.
Surveillance video showed Miller firing after someone began chasing another person with a gun, court documents say. Miller kept running even after he was shot in the lower back. He was tackled as he yelled, “I'm shot. I'm shot,” according to the documents.
Miller said under questioning that he was armed with a Taurus G3 9 mm and he fired it four or five times because someone was shooting at him, the documents say.
The shooting happened despite the presence of more than 800 police officers.
Those injured range in age from 8 to 47 years, according to Police Chief Stacey Graves. Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a mother of two and the host of a radio show called “Taste of Tejano,” was killed.
FRIEND OF SHOOTER
Marques Harris, who was wounded in the shooting, told WDAF-TV that Miller should not have been charged and that his friend was only trying to protect him.
He said it started with Mays staring down his 15-year-old friend. The teen asked if there was a problem and Mays then started to talk trash, recalled Harris who decided to intervene.
“I pushed my little brother out the way,” Harris said. “As soon as I pushed my little brother out of the way, the dude stepped forward and proceeded to shoot me."
Only then did Miller fire, said Harris, whose mouth is nearly wired shut. He said the bullet struck him in his neck and traveled out of his mouth.
Court documents say ballistics show that the bullet that killed Lopez-Galvan was fired from Miller’s firearm. Miller was hospitalized after the shooting and his mugshot was not immediately available.
CITY’S HISTORY AND STATE LAWS
The shooting occurred in a state with few gun regulations and historic tension over how cities handle crime.
Kansas City has long struggled with gun violence, and in 2020 it was among nine cities where the U.S. Justice Department launched crackdowns on violent crime. In 2023, the city set a record with 185 homicides, most of which involved guns.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has joined with mayors across the country to call for new laws to reduce gun violence, including mandating universal background checks.
Advocates for tighter gun restrictions organized a rally in Kansas City on Saturday, near where the shooting took place. Video posted on social media shows dozens of people holding signs and chanting, “Enough is enough!”
It is unlikely that the state government would ever introduce laws to limit gun ownership, but the Missouri House on Monday approved a ban on celebratory gunfire in cities. The measure now goes to the Senate.
RETHINKING SPORTS CELEBRATIONS?
The shooting was the latest at a sports celebration in the United States. A shooting wounded several people last year in Denver after the Nuggets’ NBA championship.
Kansas City’s mayor and security experts say it could be time to rethink championship celebrations. Lucas said last Thursday that the city would continue to celebrate its victories. Next month’s St. Patrick’s Day parade will go ahead as scheduled.
But he told local television station KMBC that if the Chiefs win another Super Bowl, it might be better to have a smaller party at their home stadium, where security can be managed more easily.