Two adults have been charged with murder in the deadly shooting that occurred at Kansas City's Super Bowl celebration last Wednesday, according to the prosecutor.
Lyndell Mays and Dominic Miller now each face charges of second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
In a press conference Tuesday, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said Mays was charged Saturday, and Miller was charged Monday night. Mays' case was sealed by the court because of its pressing nature, the prosecutor said, but the court unsealed the charges Tuesday when Miller's charges were also made public. Both suspects are being held on a $1 million bond.
Court documents obtained by Scripps News Kansas City state Mays was in a verbal argument with four other individuals who asked "what he was looking at," per a witness.
Surveillance video shows the situation escalated when Mays pointed "his finger at them in an angry manner" then circled behind a person and pulled out his handgun. Mays then chased one person as other individuals pulled their weapons and began firing back.
Lyndell Mays is pictured.
Evidence states that while being interviewed at an area hospital, Mays gave authorities an inconsistent account of the shooting until he was confronted with surveillance video. He then acknowledged that he pulled out his gun and, after hesitating because of the children in the crowd, began firing first.
"Lyndell Mays ... picked one of the individuals in the group at random, and started shooting, all because they said, 'I'm going to get you' and to him, that meant, 'I'm going to kill you,'" the court documents state.
When police asked Mays why he advanced on the group of individuals to begin with, Mays said it was "stupid."
"Just pulled a gun out and started shooting. I shouldn't have done that. Just being stupid," Mays said.
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"I just want to clear my name that I had nothing to do with anything," said Denton Loudermill, a Chiefs fan and father from Olathe.
Other documents in the case state a witness saw Miller running and shouting "I'm shot," after gunshots rang out. The witness reported seeing a black firearm near Miller's waistband, so he tackled him and guarded the black Taurus G3 9mm until officers came to the scene.
Miller, who also initially told police a different story until he was confronted with surveillance video, was seen watching the verbal argument between Mays and the group of individuals. Miller told police he returned shots after observing the gunfire, but he said he was uncertain if he struck the individual he was targeting.
Mays also told police his gunfire "didn't hit anything," while the surveillance video shows the deceased victim, Lisa Lopez-Galvan, lying on the ground just north of where he also lay suffering from gunshot injuries.
A Glock 9mm handgun covered in blood was recovered next to where Mays fell. A computer check found the firearm had been stolen in Kansas City.
Lopez-Galvan's autopsy and a ballistic comparison determined the bullet recovered from her body was fired from Miller's Taurus G3 9mm.
The 43-year-old mother of two and local radio personality was one of at least 22 other parade attendees, including multiple children, who were struck by gunfire outside of Union Station Wednesday, just as the Kansas City Chiefs were wrapping up their victory speeches.
Many who were hospitalized have been released since, but Miller and Mays were still admitted as of Tuesday afternoon, Peters Baker said.
The prosecutor said evidence doesn't reflect that Mays and Miller had any prior history or connection to each other before the shooting. She also said additional people that could be charged in the case also didn't arrive in the same cluster of people that day.
"We seek to hold every shooter accountable for their actions that day," Peters Baker said. "While we're not there yet, we're going to get there. We are not done yet."
KCPD Chief Stacey Graves also weighed in on the charges, saying she had "full confidence" in the prosecutor's office to charge the "reckless actions" of Miller and Mays.
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The two shooting suspects are juveniles, granting them certain privacy protections, as mandated by law.
In a statement, Lopez-Galvan's family thanked the prosecutor's office and other law enforcement officials for "the effort and dedicated hours spent to expeditiously investigate this senseless act of violence."
"It is reassuring for our family and the entire community to know that this joint team effort has resulted in the identification of the suspects involved," the statement read. "Though it does not bring back our beloved Lisa, it is comforting to know that the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office and the KCPD made it a top priority to seek justice for Lisa, the other shooting victims, those who had to witness this tragedy unfold and the Kansas City community."
Authorities have said there might be further charges coming in the case, particularly with the two juveniles charges last week.
On Friday, the juvenile office of the Jackson County Family Court Division charged two juveniles with gun possession and resisting arrest. Because that case is being worked through family court, details on the juveniles are not publicly available, but the juvenile officer indicated in a release Friday that further charges could be possible.
Additionally, it's possible the juveniles could eventually be certified to be tried as adults. Information about a possible certification hearing is not publicly available.
Also on Friday, Peters Baker filed charges against a Wichita, Kansas, man for unlawful possession of a firearm at last Wednesday's rally. The man, who is not believed to be directly connected to the shooting, was previously convicted of felony marijuana distribution.
