Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Trey Smith described to Good Morning America on Thursday morning the moment he learned that he was in an active shooter situation during Wednesday’s parade for the team’s Super Bowl victory.

“I just remember the security guards ushering us through the doors quickly, saying, ‘Come on, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up,'” Smith said. “They said, ‘This is not a joke. It’s a life-and-death situation.'”

Smith recalled how he and his teammate the long snapper James Winchester hid in a closet while springing into action to keep “hysterical” children calm.

“Right before I run in there, there’s a little kid in front of me, so I just grabbed him and yanked him up and said, ‘You’re hopping in here with me, buddy,'” Smith told GMA. “I don’t know how many people were in the closet, maybe 20-plus.”

Police then helped the people hiding in closets to the Chiefs’ buses outside a chaotic scene surrounded by more fans trying to escape. Smith recalls giving a boy a WWE belt that he and other players had worn that day.

“He was seeing people reacting, trying to get out of the situation. I’m like, ‘Here you go, buddy, this is yours. … No one is gonna hurt you. You’re here with us. You’re going to be A-OK. You’re going to be all right.'”