Patrick Mahomes, wife Brittany visit Super Bowl parade shooting victims: 'We want to be there'
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and wife Brittany Mahomes paid a visit to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Overland Park, Kansas to visit young victims of the Super Bowl parade mass shooting that left one person dead and 22 others wounded on Wednesday.
"Just like #ChiefsKingdom has always been there for me and my family, we want to be there for them," Mahomes wrote on social media on Friday afternoon.
Local news station Fox 4 shared several photos of Patrick and Brittany Mahomes visiting the Reyes family's 8-year-old and 10-year-old daughters, who both suffered gunshot wounds in the leg during the Super Bowl parade on Wednesday. (The children's names were not released.)
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The Reyes family's GoFundMe page stated that the girls were celebrating with many members of their family when they were senselessly injured. According to Fox 4, the Reyes family is related to Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a beloved Tejano music DJ who was tragically killed in the shooting.
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“We want to give a personal thank you to the staff of Children’s Mercy Hospital and Patrick & Brittany Mahomes for their outpouring care, love, and support," the Reyes family said in a statement to Fox 4.
Later Friday, Mahomes announced the launch of 'Kansas City Strong,' an emergency relief fund set up by the Chiefs and United Way to raise money and offer support to victims, their families, first responders, in addition to providing violence prevention and mental health services to the community. Over $350,000 has been raised as of Friday afternoon.
"We woke up as champions expecting to celebrate a day in triumph. Instead, February 14th will be remembered for its tragedy," Chris Rosson President and CEO said in a statement. "This moment is an opportunity to turn our collective outrage into action. This is why together, the Chiefs and United Way are creating a special emergency fund to support our community in its efforts to heal and become more resilient in the wake of these horrific events."