High schooler recalls harrowing moments during Union Station shooting, Andy Reid hugging him

A horrific scene that’s become all too common across the United States unfolded at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl championship parade on Wednesday afternoon, as multiple people were struck in a mass shooting. According to police, at least 10 people were wounded with one dead.

And among the chaos, fans and members of the Chiefs organization intermingled as all rushed to make their way to a safe location. One young fan came across Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who reportedly tried to offer some comfort amid the horror.

“He [was] trying to comfort me,” Shawnee Mission East High School sophomore Gabe Wallace said, according to Kansas City Star columnist Sam McDowell.

Gabe Wallace, a sophomore at Shawnee Mission East, heard the gunshots and hopped a barricade, scraping head on the concrete. He lost track of his friends.

On what he was thinking? “My friends are dead.”

Said Andy Reid hugged him. “He trying to comfort me.” pic.twitter.com/arcWCm7ytu

— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) February 14, 2024

In a video McDowell posted along with that account of coming across Reid, Wallace recounts hearing the first shots and fleeing into or around Union Station for cover, near where the shooting reportedly took place.

“I heard just like ‘Boom boom!’ like real quick,” Wallace said of the initial gunfire. “And then the security guard was like, ‘Get over the barricade, get in Union Stat — get over here right now, come on, come on, let’s go.’ So we went into to Union Station, like I had no idea if my friends are OK — it’s terrible.”

When Wallace couldn’t initially locate his friends, the thought that they had been shot or killed crossed his mind. In the process of fleeing, he had hit his face on the concrete ceiling as he leapt a barricade.

“The security guard was like “Get over the damn fence right now, there’s a shooter.’ We hop over, I hit my face on accident. But then — so I headed in there, I had no idea where he was,” Wallace said, gesturing to one of his friends who he attended the parade with, now standing behind him. “I head in there, there was like an FBI agent, she was like, ‘Are you OK? Find your friends’ and everything.”

Wallace estimated the shots had come from inside or in the close vicinity of Union Station.

“I’m pretty sure I heard shots in Union Station,” Wallace said. “It might’ve been a little outside, I’m not sure though.” 

Initially, Kansas City police provided details of the situation, telling everyone to vacate the area.

“Shots have been fired around Union Station. Please leave the area,” the KC Police Twitter account read. Officers are working to clear Union Station itself. We will release everyone inside the building once that is complete. We are still trying to determine the number of shooting victims.

“Shots were fired west of Union Station near the garage and multiple people were struck. We took two armed people into custody for more investigation. Anyone nearby needs to leave the area as quickly and safely as possible to facilitate treatment of the shooting victims. Please avoid the Union Station parking garage area to allow first responders through.”

Kansas City police later said everyone inside was released after determining the number of victims and clearing the building.

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this report.