A 10-year-old victim of yesterday's shooting in Kansas City at the Super Bowl celebration parade described the terrifying moment he was shot.
Samuel Arellano went to the parade on Wednesday with his grandfather, aunt and uncle, all of whom are big Kansas City Chiefs fans.
“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.”
Remembering what he had learned in his school's target practice, Samuel hurriedly hid amid the gunfire, but felt a sharp pain under his arm where he had been shot.
He was one of the 21 victims shot at the parade, with one person dying. Police are continuing to investigate and have arrested three suspects, including two juveniles, in connection with the incident. Police did not name the suspects but said the shooting stemmed from an argument between several people.
10-year-old Samuel Arellano went to the parade Wednesday with his grandfather, aunt and uncle, all of whom are big Kansas City Chiefs fans
@elvick05
#thebeatles #jhonlennon #imagine #violencia #parede #chiefs . This is terrible because I celebrated the Chiefs' Victoria in Superbowl 58. Regrettably, the violent act of one of my nieces momentarily caused an accident 😢, I didn't do it on #childrensmercy #childrensmercykc. I'm looking at Maravilla and you're in a good mood just because you're following him and at the moment you're as alive as you could be olvidar. Although you are sure that your life is not important, it is very important that the authorities or police must act as quickly as possible and take control. Kansas City digamos no a la Violencia 😢😢🏈😢😢❤️❤️
♬ Original sound – The Beatles
As the family celebrated the Chiefs' Super Bowl victory near the city's Union Station, tragedy struck when gunshots were heard and the 10-year-old felt a stabbing pain under his arm
Samuel said he was “kind of crazy” the day after – and his family wanted to tell their story because they were horrified that what should have been a “good experience” was tainted by gun violence.
At the parade, the boy stood near his grandfather and uncle, who took cover under a trailer.
“Everyone was running, losing their shoes and their clothes,” Samuel said.
After the coast seemed 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 up his shirt, they saw a gaping wound on his right side under the armpit.
“He kept saying that he was hit, but at the same time I feel like he didn't believe it himself… in that shocked state,” said his aunt, Eunice Salas.
“Everyone tried to comfort him, but at the same time he was calm.”
Salas continued, “We also feel like it was a miracle because he didn't bleed. “He got the wound, but there was no blood or nothing flowing.”
Samuel's father called 911 and the little boy was taken to Mercy Children's Hospital, where doctors “took out some parts of the bullet.”
Doctors told the family that the bullet struck just centimeters from his pulmonary artery.
“They said thank God the bullet didn’t penetrate deep enough to cause anything.” [further] Damage,” Salas said.
The boy's aunt revealed that the family of loyal Kansas City Chiefs fans regularly attend parades and Samuel joined them for the second time.
Salas had separated from her family during the parade and was already 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.”
When the gunfire erupted, the boy was standing near his grandfather and uncle, who took cover under a trailer
Samuel's aunt said the family wanted to raise awareness about gun violence. “We feel like a lot of people obviously feel sorry for us, and there are a lot of people out there now who are saying, ‘It’s just a shooting.’ No. No. That was tragic. And I feel like people need to know that.”
His mother, Aby Arellano, wanted to express her condolences to the family of victim Lisa Lopez-Galvan, the popular 44-year-old local radio DJ who died in the shooting.
“We are devastated by the violence that took place yesterday on what should have been a day of celebration and unity for our city,” she said. “I ask for prayers for all affected families.”
At a news conference outside the city's 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 the target.
At least 21 people were shot and one killed in Wednesday's mass shooting, and the news conference confirmed the death of a popular Kansas City radio DJ.
“This was an argument that ended in gunshots,” the chief said. A total of ten people were subsequently questioned and further arrests were possible.
Terrified parade-goers fled for their lives after gunmen opened fire shortly after the Super Bowl winners left the stage
Officials said the more than two dozen victims ranged in age from eight to 47, with at least half of them under 16.
Graves said the incident appears to be fueled by rampant gun violence in Kansas City and currently has “no nexus (connection) to terrorism.”
The city's fire chief spoke briefly at the news conference and said at least eight victims remained in critical condition.
Images circulated on social media showing at least five people being arrested following the shooting.
Some of them appeared to be teenagers and were handcuffed and taken away by police. It is unclear which of the people photographed belong to the three suspects. One of the suspects was wearing a yellow Patrick Mahomes when police handcuffed him.
The Kansas City Police Department told that it would not release the names of the people depicted in the images because no charges have been filed against them.
Police have 24 hours to file charges against those arrested. The suspects appeared to be quickly taken into custody after the shooting began around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas had no comment but noted in response to questions from reporters that he would consider blocking a future parade next year.