Kansas City Chiefs rally shooting: 2 men charged with murder

CNN
 — 

Two men were charged with murder and other felony charges for their roles in the mass shooting after a Kansas City Chiefs championship rally last week, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said Tuesday.

Lyndell Mays, of Raytown, and Dominic M. Miller, of Kansas City, were both charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action, the prosecutor’s office said. They are being held on $1 million bond.

According to the investigation, Mays was in a verbal argument with another person that escalated, and Mays then drew a handgun. Almost immediately, Miller and others pulled their firearms, leading to the shootout, Baker said. The two did not know each other before that day, Baker added.

Both defendants have been hospitalized and in custody since the shooting, she said.

Though they were both charged with murder, Miller’s firearm was the one that fatally wounded Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a 43-year-old mother of two and local DJ and radio host.

These defendants are separate from the two teenagers who face gun-related and resisting arrest charges and are in secure detention at the Juvenile Detention Center, according to Baker. Additional arrests are possible, Baker said.

The charges come a week after the deadly shooting that left Lopez-Galvan dead and wounded more than 20 others, including nearly a dozen children. The shooting outside Union Station sparked chaos and put a tragic end to what had been a euphoric day of celebration for the back-to-back Super Bowl champions.

Police initially said Wednesday they detained three people after the shooting, but one was later “determined to not be involved.”

Lopez-Galvan’s family released a statement thanking the prosecutor’s office, police and other law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.

“Though it does not bring back our beloved Lisa, it is comforting to know that the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office and the KCPD made it a top priority to seek justice for Lisa, the other shooting victims, those who had to witness this tragedy unfold and the Kansas City community,” the family said.

The incident was at least the 48th mass shooting in the United States in 2024, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which like CNN counts those in which four or more are shot, not including a perpetrator. It also marked the second shooting in a year at a major US sports title celebration, after two people were wounded in June as Denver fans left a parade for the NBA’s Nuggets.

Charging documents released by the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office offer further details of what happened before, during and after the shooting, including alleged confessions from the two men charged with murder.

Citing surveillance video of the shooting, a probable cause statement says the shooting began with a confrontation between two groups.

Mays got into a verbal confrontation with a group of people and approached them in an “aggressive” and “angry” manner, according to the statement. He then allegedly pulled out a handgun, pointed it at one of the individuals and began chasing and shooting at him, according to the statement. Other individuals took out their firearms and appeared to start shooting at Mays, who was struck by gunfire, the statement said.

Miller, meanwhile, allegedly positioned himself in a crowd of people, pulled out a firearm and appeared to begin shooting, the statement says. An unidentified person shot Miller in the lower back, causing him to fall to the ground, the statement says.

Mays was found wounded and taken to a hospital for treatment. In a hospital interview two days after the shooting, Mays told detectives he started shooting because the others said “I’m going to get you,” the statement says.

“Stupid, man. Just pulled a gun out and started shooting,” Mays allegedly said, according to the probable cause statement. “I shouldn’t have done that. Just being stupid.”

A Glock 9mm handgun found on the ground near Mays contained six rounds in a 15-round capacity magazine, according to the documents. The firearm had been stolen in Kansas City, Missouri, the documents state.

Miller, who had a gunshot wound, was tackled and disarmed by a witness who saw him carrying a handgun, according to the statement. In a hospital interview two days after the shooting, he said he was armed with a Taurus G3 9mm handgun and said he returned fire after he saw someone shooting at him, according to the statement.

A .38-caliber class bullet was recovered during an autopsy of Lopez-Galvan, and a ballistic comparison of the bullet determined it was fired from the Taurus weapon, according to the statement.

The second-degree murder charge comes with a potential sentence of up to life in prison, while unlawful use of a weapon carries up to 15 years in prison.