A man who was filmed confronting one of three gunmen at the Kansas City Super Bowl parade has detailed his heroic acts. in a revealing interview.
Accompanied by his daughter, Paul Contreras, 46, recalled the adrenaline-charged encounter, which Alyssa, 23, managed to capture on her phone moments after her father took action.
Alyssa, visiting from Nebraska, continued filming as the shooter was arrested, after apparently attempting to flee the hectic scene on foot.
Several parade-goers within earshot noticed this and called to others to stop their advance. Contreras heard these calls and didn’t think twice before attacking the suspect, he said.
Meanwhile, officers said they handcuffed two others, but have not yet contacted Contreras, he said. He recalled how a gun fell from the suspect’s hands, after police said they confiscated at least one assault weapon at one of the scenes. The investigation is ongoing and all suspects have already been arrested.
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Accompanied by his daughter, Paul Contreras, 46, recalled the encounter, which Alyssa, 23, managed to capture on her phone as her father sprang into action.
Alyssa continued filming the shooter’s arrest, after he apparently attempted to flee on foot.
“One guy was yelling, saying, you know, ‘stop him, catch him, tackle him or whatever,'” Contreras recalled, as footage of others showed the actual tackle in real time.
“And he barely runs,” he continued. “And out of nowhere I heard this guy scream, so I said, ‘Okay, I’m here.’
The obedient father continued: ‘I didn’t think about that. It’s just a reaction. I didn’t hesitate, just do it.’
Finally, after what he said seemed like an eternity, the police came to help the Good Samaritan.
He went on to describe the entire ordeal in depth, recalling how he and another man took it upon themselves to protect the rest of the crowd moments after gunfire erupted.
Contreras told his station KETV 7 Omaha: ‘So I went to confront him and another gentleman did the same.
“And as I’m dealing with it,” he continued, I see that there’s a gun that fell out of his hand or his sleeve, because he was wearing a long jacket, like a Carhartt.
“So when I saw that hit the ground,” he continued, “I thought, you know, we have to take this guy down.”
Finally, after what he said seemed like an eternity, the police came to help the Good Samaritan.
General view of Union Station where the shooting occurred, just after the crew took the stage around 3:30 p.m.
“And so, like I said, I did it, and another good Samaritan did it, and we held him down,” Contreras said, as his daughter looked visibly distressed as he spoke.
He continued: ‘And it seemed like an eternity, but it was probably like 30 seconds, holding it down.
And the other gentleman and I yelled and asked, “Where are the police?” You know, “Bring the police here, bring the police here. We have it.”‘
Within a minute, he said, officers arrived, and Alyssa and a few others filmed them quickly approaching the suspect.
The man, who has not yet been identified, appears to be at least one of three believed to have carried out the attack, which occurred just after the Patrick Mahomes-led team took the stage around 3:30 p.m.
The sound of gunshots was heard at that moment, Contreras and his daughter recalled, sparking the riot that culminated when he crossed paths with one of the alleged gunmen.
Others present were able to capture various angles of the actions of Contreras and his unknown accomplice.
Others present were able to capture various angles of the actions of Contreras and his unknown accomplice.
They are seen knocking the suspected gunman to the ground, before proudly proclaiming: “We have the gun.” Here you see the police coming to the aid of the two men.
Paul went on to tell the ABC affiliate that he saw a gun fall from the alleged shooter’s hands during the fight.
‘We’re fighting amongst ourselves, you know? We are fighting to keep him down and he is fighting to get up.
“You can’t be afraid, you know,” he said, when KETV later reported that the father and daughter were back in Omaha. “I’m not saying you want it to happen, but there’s always that possibility. It could happen at work, the grocery store. “This turned out to be the Super Bowl parade.”
They are seen knocking the alleged gunman to the ground, before proclaiming: “We have the gun.”
Paul went on to tell the ABC affiliate that he saw a gun fall from the hand of one of the alleged shooters during the fight.
“The whole time he was struggling to get up and run away,” he recalled.
‘We’re fighting amongst ourselves, you know? We are fighting to keep him down and he is fighting to get up.
Given the life-or-death connotations of the fight, he said he remained calm.
“You can’t be afraid, you know,” he said, when KETV later reported that the father and daughter were back in Omaha.
‘I’m not saying you want it to happen, but there’s always that possibility. It could happen at work, at the supermarket,’ she said. “This turned out to be the Super Bowl parade.”
Meanwhile, the police investigation continues and, apart from the arrests, has yet to yield anything concrete.
More than 800 police officers were called, 600 of whom were from the Kansas City Police Department, and more than 21 people were injured.
The Kansas City Star reported that DJ Lisa López-Galván, 44, was the only fatality in the incident, after close friends confirmed that the mother of two died during surgery at a hospital for a gunshot wound to her The abdomen.
The suspects’ motives, as of Wednesday, remained unclear and police are expected to issue an update in the coming hours. Of the injured, at least nine were children.