A 10-year-old victim of yesterday’s shooting in Kansas City during the Super Bowl parade described the terrifying moment she was shot.
Samuel Arellano went to Wednesday’s parade with his grandfather, aunt and uncle, all of whom are big Kansas City Chiefs fans.
“When I heard the shots, I hid,” he said. The independent on Thursday morning. “I fell to the ground and then hid behind a trash can.”
Remembering what he learned at his school’s active shooter drills, Samuel rushed to hide amidst the gunfire, but felt a sharp pain under his arm where he was shot.
He was one of 21 victims who were shot in the parade that left one person dead. Police continue to investigate and arrested three suspects, two of them juveniles, in connection with the incident. Police have not identified the suspects, but said the shooting stemmed from a dispute between several people.
Samuel Arellano, 10, went to Wednesday’s parade with his grandfather, aunt and uncle, all of whom are big Kansas City Chiefs fans.
Tragedy struck as the family celebrated the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory near the city’s Union Station when gunshots began to ring out and the 10-year-old boy felt a sharp pain under his arm.
Samuel said he felt “a little angry” the next day, and his family wanted to tell his story because they were dismayed that what should have been a “good experience” had been ruined by gun violence.
At the parade, the young man was close to his grandfather and uncle, who ran to take shelter under a trailer.
“Everyone was running, losing their shoes and clothes,” Samuel said.
After the coast appeared to be clear, Samuel and his family ran the 15 minutes back to their home in the Turner neighborhood.
At first, the family saw no blood or wounds on Samuel, but after lifting his shirt, they saw an open wound on the right side under his armpit.
“He kept saying that he had been hit, but at the same time I feel like he didn’t believe it himself… in that mind of shock,” said his aunt, Eunice Salas.
“Everyone was trying to console him, but at the same time he was calm too.”
Salas continued: “We feel like it was a miracle too, because he wasn’t bleeding.” He has the wound, but there was no blood or anything dripping.
Samuel’s father called 911 and the boy was taken to Mercy Children’s Hospital, where doctors “removed some parts of the bullet.”
Doctors informed the family that the bullet had landed a few centimeters from his pulmonary artery.
“They said thank God the bullet didn’t go in far enough to cause more damage,” Salas said.
The boy’s aunt revealed that the family of loyal Kansas City Chiefs fans regularly attend parades and that this was the second time Samuel joined them.
Salas had become separated from his family during the parade and was on the other side of Union Station when the shooting began.
“When I heard the shots, I hid,” he told The Independent on Thursday morning. ‘I fell to the ground and then hid behind a trash can’
The young man was near his grandfather and uncle when the shots were fired, who ran to take shelter under a trailer.
Samuel’s aunt said the family wants to raise awareness. “We feel like a lot of people obviously have feelings for us, and now there’s a lot of people saying, ‘It’s just a shooting,’ no. No. This was tragic. And I feel like people need to know that.”
His mother, Aby Arellano, wanted to express her deepest condolences to the family of victim Lisa López-Galván, the popular 44-year-old local radio DJ, who died in the shooting.
“We are devastated by the violence that occurred yesterday, what should have been a day of celebration and unity for our city,” he said. ‘I ask for prayers for all affected families.’
At a news conference outside city police headquarters, Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said investigators believe the shooting was sparked by a personal dispute between a small group and that the parade was not was the goal.
In Wednesday’s mass shooting, at least 21 people were shot and one killed, and the news conference confirmed the death of a beloved Kansas City radio DJ.
“This was a dispute that ended in shooting,” said the chief, who said a total of 10 people were questioned afterward and that more arrests may be made.
Terrified parade-goers fled for their lives after gunmen opened fire shortly after the Superbowl winners walked off the stage.
Authorities said the more than two dozen victims ranged in age from eight to 47, and at least half of them were under 16.
Graves said the incident appears to have been fueled by rampant gun violence problems in Kansas City, and has “no nexus (connection) to terrorism” at this time.
The city’s fire chief spoke briefly at the news conference and said at least eight victims remain in critical condition.
Images circulating on social media show at least five people detained after the shooting.
Several of them appear to be minors and were photographed being handcuffed and dragged away by police. It is unclear which, if any, of those photographed are among the three suspects. One of the suspects was wearing a yellow Patrick Mahomes when police handcuffed him.
The Kansas City Police Department told DailyMail.com it would not release the names of the people in the images since they have not been charged.
Police have 24 hours to file charges against those arrested, and the suspects appear to be quickly detained after the shooting began around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas did not offer a statement, but said during reporters’ questions that he would consider blocking a future parade next year.