Former Bears Coach Eric Bieniemy’s Wife Mia Shot at Home, Son Arrested: Report

Unfortunate news has been released regarding former Chicago Bears running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, who is now the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs.

According to ESPN, Bieniemy’s wife was shot Sunday Night at home in Virginia.

“According to sources, Mia Bieniemy, 57, has been hospitalized,” ESPN’s Nate Taylor wrote. “Police in Loudoun County, Virginia, confirmed that a person was being treated for ‘serious injuries’ but did not disclose the person’s identity.”

Loudoun County released a report claiming Elijah Bieniemy, the son of Eric and Mia, was arrested and charged the shooting.

“Elijah Zion Bieniemy, 27, of Ashburn, was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding, Use of a Firearm in Commission of a Felony, and Discharge of a Firearm Inside of a Dwelling. He was transported to the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center where he was held without bond.

The investigation is ongoing, and there is not believed to be any threat to the public.”

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Sheriff’s Office Releases Statement on Shooting of Wife of Former Bears Coach Eric Bieniemy

Kansas City’s coaching staff was 400 miles away from home Sunday when the news broke. Eric Bieniemy had just wrapped up the Chiefs’ second training camp practice on the Missouri Western State campus in St. Joseph, Missouri, when word came that his wife, 57-year-old Mia Bieniemy, had been shot back at their residence in Ashburn, Virginia.

According to Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Leah Pau, deputies responded to the 20000 block of Northpark Drive at 7:32 p.m. ET Sunday after receiving a shooting report.

The Chiefs organization acknowledged the situation in a brief statement, saying only that the team is “aware of the incident involving Eric Bieniemy’s family,” without elaborating further. Neither Bieniemy nor his family had publicly commented as of Monday morning.

The timing adds an unsettling layer to what’s otherwise been a fresh start for Bieniemy. He returned to the Chiefs this offseason after spending the previous season as running backs coach for the Bears, stepping back into the offensive coordinator role he’d held from 2018 to 2022 before Andy Reid brought him back into the fold. The investigation into what happened at the Bieniemy home remains active, with no further details released publicly.

The only update by Taylor, which is good news, is that Mia Bieniemy is in stable condition.

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Bieniemy Comments on Leaving Bears For Chiefs

Bieniemy said it was a tough decision to leave the Bears for the Chiefs, saying, “It was real, real tough decision (to leave the Bears).”

However, his heart always remained in Kansas City, where he was with the team from 2013-2022.

“It felt like home. That was the beauty of it. It was real, real tough making this decision, but it was an opportunity to come home, and it was like leaving home. If Big Red (Andy Reid) ever picks up the phone, that’s the only person you’ll say, ‘Hey, you know what, it may be time to return home’ because he’s giving me this opportunity.”

The Bears have replaced Bieniemy with Eric Studesville as the team’s new running backs coach.

“Studesville, 58, originally joined the Bears as a quality control assistant in 1997 on Dave Wannstedt’s staff and spent four seasons with the team working with wide receivers and special teams,” Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune wrote. “The Madison, Wis., native left for the New York Giants as a running backs coach and was with the Miami Dolphins the last nine seasons, overlapping there for two years with [Ben] Johnson.”

The hope is Bieniemy’s wife can fully recover from the gunshot wound.

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