Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce beams alongside several teammates and their WAGs – including Patrick Mahomes' wife Brittany – just hours after a mass shooting plunged the team's Super Bowl parade into tragedy.
In new pictures obtained by , star tight end Kelce – whose relationship with Taylor Swift dominated the NFL this season – was spotted at a sports bar in Kansas City on Wednesday.
He's part of a small group that also includes Brittany, Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend, center Creed Humphrey, tight end Matt Bushman – and his wife Emily.
Sources told that Mahomes booked the entire venue for a select few members of the team and their families. Kelce led a rendition of the Beastie Boys hit “Fight For Your Right (to party)” after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win in Las Vegas.
Many of Andy Reid's team stayed away after the attack that left one person dead and dozens injured in Kansas City.
Travis Kelce smiles with his Chiefs teammates after a shootout during the parade
Kelce sparked outrage after he smiled for a selfie hours after the Kansas City shooting
But Kelce was one of those who came forward, and this new picture is sure to raise even more questions for the tight end, who has already come under fire after he posed for a smiling selfie with a police officer following the fatal shooting has.
Mahomes, who was not pictured but was said to have been at the bar, quickly posted on social media after the attack. “Praying for Kansas City,” he wrote, while some of his teammates — Justin Reid and Charles Omenihu — called for gun law reform after the shooting.
“The bar was closed for a private event – not a party,” a source told . “There were only a few players, including Travis and Patrick, with their wives and other family members.”
“They were here for a few hours helping to cheer up the staff and take their minds off what was going on.” “Everything was planned in advance, originally it was supposed to be bigger but then it was scaled down.”
Kelce has a signed jersey at the restaurant, as does Mahomes. The bar is decorated with Kansas City memorabilia, with two large bobbleheads at the end of the bar framing the bar.
The tight end appeared in good spirits as he entered the Granfalloon Restaurant and Bar with a beer in hand, just hours after he was chased off the stage with his teammates when several gunmen opened fire on their fans.
At least 23 people were injured in the shooting at the horror parade, including nine children between the ages of eight and 16. Tributes have poured in following the death of a beloved Kansas City radio DJ.
Kelce's post-shooting selfies sparked backlash from some fans. One said: “In my opinion he doesn't look good a few hours after one person was killed and others injured.”
Others defended the Super Bowl star and said he had the right to eat out with his team, hours after he said he was “heartbroken” over the horror shooting.
“My heart goes out to everyone who celebrated with us and was affected.” “KC, you mean the world to me,” he said on X.
Kelce sparked backlash for his post-parade antics, where he appeared too drunk to speak
Kelce accompanied his team to a meal at Granfalloon Restaurant and Bar in Kansas City
Opinion poll
Is Travis' behavior inappropriate?
- Yes, 1794 votes
- No 766 votes
Kelce enjoyed the evening before Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas gave an update on the investigation and said he would consider blocking all Super Bowl victory parades next year if the Chiefs do so again after Wednesday's horror mass shooting win.
The 39-year-old mayor said three suspects remained under questioning over the tragedy, but declined to identify the gunmen who shot 21 people and killed one at Wednesday's Superbowl parade.
Lucas gave few new details about the tragedy early Thursday morning and apologized at a 6 a.m. news conference Thursday for “failing to ensure everyone's safety” at the family event.
“I’m sorry this happened yesterday,” he said.
“We worked hard to put on an extraordinary parade, we spent millions on it, but we failed to keep everyone safe and that is something I feel great guilt about.”
In an interview with CBS, he added that the motive for the massacre remained a mystery and condemned easy access to firearms in Missouri, saying, “I don't want to live like that.”
Lucas did not specify the type of weapon used, but said it appeared to be “some type of rapid-fire weapon.”
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas gave a news conference at 6 a.m. Thursday to reassure residents that three suspects were in custody — but declined to name the gunmen
Terrified parade-goers flee for their lives after gunmen opened fire shortly after the Super Bowl winners left the stage
Several people were seen being wheeled away on a stretcher. At least 21 people were shot dead in the horror parade massacre
Lucas condemned the gunmen's easy access to deadly weapons, pointing out that there were over 800 police officers stationed at the parade who were unable to prevent a senseless mass shooting.
“There is clearly an issue with access to firearms for some in our community,” he said.
“There is one or more people who intentionally or unintentionally shoot into a crowd, hitting almost two dozen people. Our officers can be there immediately, but the damage is still so high.”
“We have to do something about the fact that some of these people are even able to get these weapons.”
“I don’t know what we’re ultimately going to do about it, but we need to find national and local solutions to it.”
Lucas said he was in the front row as the “horrific” shooting unfolded, leaving thousands of fans running for their lives as the Superbowl celebration erupted into chaos.
He recalled the moment the fun family event descended into chaos, seconds after Kansas City Chiefs players “danced on stage.”
“That’s when (the police) stormed the stage,” he continued. “There was excitement and we were all running for our lives.”
People flee after shots were fired near the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl LVIII victory parade
Up to a million people were expected to gather in Kansas City for the parade, sparking chaotic scenes as huge crowds fled for their lives as shots were fired
The horror shooting led to eerily quiet scenes outside the parade as the huge crowd struggled for safety
An injured fan receives help and is carried away from the scene
A woman with a large cut on her face was seen being carried away from the scene on a stretcher
Horrified witnesses reported the chaotic scenes separating families and leaving children screaming for help. The mayor noted that he had lost his family in the excitement.
“Suddenly someone came and took me away… I was separated from my wife and put in a police vehicle,” he said, adding that his family was “safe but shaken.”
“It was terrible,” he said.
“I don’t say this to expand my experience. “There were a lot of people who had it much worse than me – someone lost their life.”
Last year, Kansas City had a record number of homicides at 185, a factor the mayor said frustrated him after the shooting as he tried to address the crime wave.
Lucas pointed to a 30 percent pay raise for police officers that he proposed to encourage more residents to join the force. He said police need more officers like those who ran into danger when the shooting began.
Lucas' concerns about easy access to guns were echoed by President Biden, who used the opportunity to call for stricter gun control measures.
“Today’s events should move us, shock us, shame us and move us to action,” Biden said in a statement.
“Make your voice heard in Congress so that we finally take action to ban assault weapons, restrict high-capacity magazines, strengthen background checks, and keep guns out of the hands of those who have no business owning or using them to deal with.”
A person is loaded into an ambulance after the shooting, which left at least 21 people injured and one dead
Lisa Lopez-Galvan, pictured here with her husband, died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen during surgery at a hospital
This comes at a time when tributes have been paid to the only person who lost their life in the shooting: popular Kansas City radio DJ and mother of two, Lisa Lopez-Galvan.
She died during emergency surgery at the hospital after sustaining a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Local Democrat Manny Abarca, a friend of Lopez-Galvan, spoke about her influence in an interview with TalkTV's Jeremy Kyle and Rosie Wright on Talk Today.
“It's a tragic situation.” I was there with my six-year-old daughter Camilla and we not only caught confetti but hid in the bathroom, not knowing what our fate would be. Unfortunately, this is the state of affairs at major events like this in America.
“We need to pay attention to those who have guns that are easily accessible, especially in states like Missouri.”