Tag: shootings

Feb 14, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Fans shelter in place after shots were fired after the celebration of the Kansas City Chiefs winning Super Bowl LVIII. Mandatory Credit: David Rainey-USA TODAY Sports

Two juveniles charged in Chiefs’ celebration shootings

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Two juveniles have been charged in connection to the shootings at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration, the Jackson County Family Court announced Friday.

The Court said the juveniles were charged Thursday on gun-related and resisting arrest charges. The news release said more charges could be added in relation to Wednesday’s shootings in which one person was killed and 22 others were injured.

“It is anticipated that additional charges are expected in the future as the investigation by the Kansas City Police Department continues,” the statement said.

Missouri law prevents hearings involving juveniles to be open to the public.

The shootings occurred outside popular Union Station on Wednesday on a day in which roughly 1 million people turned out to celebrate Kansas City’s Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. There were more than 800 police officers in the vicinity.

Kansas City police chief Stacey Graves said Thursday that the gunshot victims ranged from ages 8 to 47 with half of them under 16.

Disc jockey Lisa Lopez-Galvan, 43, was shot during the celebration and died.

The mother of two hosted a radio show on a local station and had deep Kansas City roots. She also leaves behind a husband of 22 years.

At a vigil Thursday night in Kansas City, childhood friend Christina Nunez remembered Lopez-Galvan.

“She was here to do good, she was a good person,” Nunez said. “This was senseless. And it’s just so hard to understand. I hope that we can learn from this, but I hate that God took such a beautiful person. It’s going to take a long time for a lot of us to understand and heal from this. It’s just a tragedy.”

Singer Taylor Swift donated $100,000 to the family of Lopez-Galvan on a GoFundMe page, Variety confirmed through Swift’s representative.

“Sending my deepest sympathies and condolences in the wake of your devastating loss. With love, Taylor Swift,” said the post.

Swift is dating Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce.

As of Friday afternoon, the GoFundMe page has raised more than $281,000.

Also, the Chiefs launched “Kansas City Strong” in partnership with the Kansas City branch of the United Way on Friday. The team said it is ” an emergency response fund supporting victims and their families, violence prevention and mental health services, and first responders.”

The team donated $200,000 to the fund, saying it aims to support victims and first responders in the aftermath of the tragedy.

–Field Level Media

Sep 2, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Detail view of helmet stickers on the helmet of Virginia Cavaliers running back Mike Hollins (7) during the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

‘Forever in our hearts’: UVA marks anniversary of shooting

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The University of Virginia marked the one-year anniversary Monday of the shooting deaths of three football players.

Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry were killed on the Charlottesville, Va., campus on Nov. 13, 2022.

“It may be the one-year anniversary for some people, but it’s just like yesterday for a lot of us,” athletic director Carla Williams said, per ESPN.

The three players were returning to school from a field trip to Washington, D.C., when they were shot and killed on a bus. Running back Mike Hollins was wounded in the attack but returned to lead the Cavaliers with seven rushing touchdowns so far this season.

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a former walk-on at Virginia, is facing three counts of second-degree murder. Marlee Morgan, a UVA student, was also wounded in the shooting.

The school opened the north gate at Scott Stadium on Monday to allow the public to visit the memorial plaques for Chandler, Davis and Perry between noon and 5 p.m. ET. The UVA chapel will also chime bells in their honor. Other events are planned across the campus.

“There’s so many different visuals around here that spark thoughts about Lavel, Devin and D’Sean,” football coach Tony Elliott said, per ESPN. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t have feelings about them. On this day, I want it to be a true remembrance of the legacies of those young men.”

Virginia, which canceled the rest of the 2022 season following the tragedy, has two games remaining this season. The Cavaliers (2-8, 1-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) host Duke on Saturday and Virginia Tech on Nov. 25.

–Field Level Media

Nov 19, 2022; Charlottesville, Virginia, US; University of Virginia football coach Tony Elliott speaks during a memorial service for three slain University of Virginia football players Lavel Davis Jr., D Sean Perry and Devin Chandler at John Paul Jones Arena at the school in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Mandatory Credit: Steve Helber/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports

Virginia awards posthumous degrees to slain players

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Virginia has awarded posthumous degrees to three football players who died in a campus shooting last month.

Wide receiver Devin Chandler majored in American studies. Wide receiver Lavel Davis Jr. majored in African American and African studies. Linebacker D’Sean Perry double majored in studio art and African American and African studies.

“It was a great honor to be a part of presenting these diplomas to the families of Devin, Lavel and D’Sean,” athletic director Carla Williams said in a university news release.

The request to award the degrees came from associate dean Rachel Most, who was a dean for all three players in Virginia’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Perry, Chandler and Davis were killed in a shooting in a charter bus on Nov. 13 after returning to the Charlottesville campus from a class trip to Washington, D.C.

Virginia canceled its final two games of the season. The university held a memorial service on campus on Nov. 19, with more than 9,000 in attendance.

Running back Mike Hollins and another student were injured in the shooting. The suspect, former Virginia football player Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., is being held without bail in a Charlottesville jail.

–Field Level Media

Oct 18, 2020; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo (7) and punter Sterling Hofrichter (4) in action during the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Falcons K Younghoe Koo addresses hate crimes after shootings

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo said Wednesday he is “deeply saddened” by the Atlanta-area shootings that left eight people dead, including six Asian women.

Koo, who was born in South Korea before moving to Ridgewood, N.J. at the age of 12, voiced his thoughts on social media.

“I am deeply saddened by the events that took place in Atlanta yesterday and although there is no definitive answer yet on what this investigation will bring, I feel now is the time to address the rise in hate crimes against ALL races over the last few years,” Koo wrote on Instagram. “As an Asian American, I have heard the jokes and name calling. I often dealt with it by ignoring what was said and minding my own business.

“I don’t have all the answers, but I realize now more than ever that this is an issue that needs to be addressed and that ignoring it won’t help us do that. I know this one post won’t solve the problem, but I hope to help raise awareness on hate crimes against all. #stophate”

The Falcons, in turn, shared the Pro Bowl kicker’s post on Instagram to their social media accounts.

Robert Aaron Long, 21, faces four counts of murder and one count of assault in a shooting at a massage parlor in Cherokee County, Ga. The other victims were killed at two spas in Atlanta. Four of the women killed were “of Korean ethnicity,” according to South Korea’s foreign ministry, via CNN.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank issued a statement Wednesday condemning the violence and hate.

“What happened last night in our hometown of Atlanta leaves me heartbroken for all the victims and their families,” Blank said. “The rise in violence and hate, specifically towards the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, is inconceivable, unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.

“I, my family and our family of businesses stand against all forms of hate, racism and violence and will continue to work toward a just and united community that rejects the ideologies creating such divisiveness.”

–Field Level Media