The stories of 8 victims of the Kansas City Chiefs rally shooting. 1 did not survive


A Johnson County mother of two lost her life. Twenty-two more fellow Kansas City Chiefs fans — half of them children — came to celebrate a Super Bowl victory and left Union Station bloodied by bullets.

Here are some of the stories of the victims from the Valentine’s Day mass shooting:

Lisa Lopez-Galvan, beloved mom and DJ

Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a mother of two and popular party disc jockey, died on the grounds of Union Station soon after she was hit by gunfire. She was 43.

“She never made it to the hospital,” said her brother Beto Lopez.

Lopez-Galvan, who graduated from Bishop Miege High School and lived in Shawnee, was a co-host of a Hispanic music program, “Taste of Tejano,” on KKFI radio station. Lopez said his sister was the youngest of four brothers and sisters.

“Of the four of us siblings, she was the life of the party,” Lopez said. “Bubbly person, never met a stranger. She was highly loved in the community, had a big heart. She was a big sports fan, Kansas City fan.”

She leaves her husband, Mike Galvan, and grown children, Marc and Adriana Lopez-Galvan. The family could not plan her funeral, Lopez said, as the police investigation continues.

Marc Lopez-Galvan

Marc Lopez-Galvan, in his young 20s, went to the Union Station rally with his mother, sister and cousins.

While his mother died at the scene, he was taken to University Health for a gunshot wound to one of his legs and was soon released.

“We’re just going to have to really help him mentally to get through this,” said his uncle. “Besides the shock, the initial shock, he was there, with his mother, when all this happened.”

Madison and Melia Reyes

Erika Reyes with family, including daughters Madison and Melia Reyes, both struck by bullets during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl celebration at Union Station.

Lisa Lopez-Galvan attended the Super Bowl festivities with the young daughters of her cousin Erika Reyes. Both Madison Reyes, a fourth-grader at St. Agnes Catholic School, and her sister Melia, in third grade, were injured by bullets and taken to Children’s Mercy hospital.

“We’re happy to share that our daughters, ages 8 and 10, are making good progress in their recovery from their leg injuries,” the family said in a statement. “Both girls were shot in the legs, underwent surgery, and are currently in casts for several months. We will endure follow-up doctor’s visits for the next few years. They are receiving physical therapy to regain their strength and mobility.”

The family said that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany, visited the girls in the hospital.

“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 family said.

10-year-old Samuel Arellano

Samuel Arellano, 10, second from left, with his grandfather Victor Salas Sr., cousin Isaac Salas, 10, and uncle Victor Salas Jr., on the day of the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory celebration.

Samuel Arellano, 10, second from left, with his grandfather Victor Salas Sr., cousin Isaac Salas, 10, and uncle Victor Salas Jr., on the day of the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory celebration.

Samuel Arellano and his grandfather ducked behind a truck west of Union Station. People trampled the boy, stepping on his back, as they also ran from a hail of gunfire.

On his right side, near his ribs and beneath his red Patrick Mahomes jersey, Samuel, 10, of Kansas City, Kansas, felt a sudden pain — sharp, as if he had been stabbed, he said.

“He was screaming. He was complaining real bad,” said his father, Antonio Arellano, 46, who, living five minutes away, sped to pick up his son on Southwest Boulevard. They thought Samuel had been hurt in the melee.

“When I got home, I lifted up his shirt. That’s when I saw the bullet hole,” Arellano said. They phoned 911.

The bullet hit a rib, landing millimeters from his lung. At Children’s Mercy hospital, doctors removed a slug. Samuel was released that night. He went to bed.

Hours later, he woke screaming, racked by nightmares that now recur every time he tries to sleep.

“I’m having flashbacks of what happened,” said Samuel, a fifth grader at Junction Elementary School.

Arellano said he is not worried about his son’s physical recovery but will get him some emotional help. The family is grateful Samuel is alive.

“We got lucky,” Arellano said.

The Tavis/Gooch family

Emily Tavis, left, her husband Jacob Gooch Sr. and stepson, 15-year-old Jacob Gooch Jr., right, were among the victims shot at the rally.

Emily Tavis, left, her husband Jacob Gooch Sr. and stepson, 15-year-old Jacob Gooch Jr., right, were among the victims shot at the rally.

Emily Tavis of Leavenworth didn’t feel the bullet go through her lower calf when gunfire broke out. She was focused on protecting her kids.

It wasn’t until someone from the medical tent pointed out the bullet hole through her pants that Tavis, 32, realized she had been hurt. Her husband, Jacob Gooch Sr., 37, was taken to the medical tent as well.

Tavis had heard at least 10 gunshots and leapt on top of her 7-year-old son to protect him. Gooch Sr. shoved his 13-year-old daughter out of the way. But they couldn’t find 15-year-old Jacob Gooch Jr.

He had been shot in the bottom of his foot as he ran. The family rode together in the ambulance to University Health.

There, they learned Gooch Sr. had been shot in the ankle. Multiple bones in his foot were broken and it could take three to six months to heal. A bullet also went through Tavis’ lower calf, leaving a wound that makes it hard for her to walk.

Tavis is encouraging the family to keep talking to one another about what happened: “Speak about it. We’re the only ones who know what we see, what we felt, what we did. We are each other’s resources.”

Includes reporting by The Star’s Eric Adler, Pete Grathoff, Andrea Klick and Kendrick Calfee.

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