Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith cries after winning the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Eric Gay, Associated Press
In the chaos following the shooting in Kansas City at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade on Wednesday, at least two Chiefs players tried to comfort the children they took shelter with.
Chiefs guard Trey Smith and long snapper James Winchester attempted to calm the children who were hiding in the same closet as the two players, Smith told “Good Morning America” Thursday. He said Winchester “was very instrumental in helping keep people calm.”
Security guards ushered players, including Smith, to safety after the shooting started. Smith said he grabbed a child who was running in front of him and eventually took shelter in a closet with several other bystanders.
“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,’” he said. “I don’t know how many people were in the closet, maybe 20-plus.”
After Smith and everyone else hiding in the closet were given the all-clear to leave, he noticed a child who was “hysterical.”
The lineman used the WWE belt he had been wearing during the parade to comfort the young fan.
“I had the WWE belt the entire parade and I was thinking, ‘What can I do to help him out?’ I just handed him the belt and said, ‘Hey buddy, you’re the champion. No one is gonna hurt you. No one’s gonna hurt you, man. We got your back,’” he said.
Smith then tried to calm the child by talking to him about wrestling and the child’s favorite wrestler.
What did Trey Smith say about the Kansas City shooting?
Smith told GMA that he’s angered by the “senseless violence,” which resulted in one woman’s death and injuries to more than 20 people.
“I’m pretty angry. Due to senseless violence, someone lost their life. You have children that are injured. You have children who are traumatized,” he said. “I’m hurting for, one, the families and people who got impacted (and two) the city of Kansas City.”
Following the shooting, Smith took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his condolences and to thank first responders.
“My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by today’s incidents — a huge thank you to the first responders who ran towards the sound of danger. You’re the ones who should be celebrated today,” he wrote.
Kansas City police said they believe the shooting was not connected to terrorism or “homegrown extremism,” as the Deseret News previously reported.
What has Andy Reid said about the Kansas City shooting?
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid also reportedly comforted bystanders after the shooting. High school sophomore Gabe Wallace told The Kansas City Star he was hugged by Reid amid the chaos.
“Andy Reid was trying to comfort me, which was nice,” he said. “He was kind of hugging me, just like, ‘Are you OK, man? Are you OK? Just please breathe.’ He was being real nice and everything.”
Reid has yet to confirm the report or comment on the shooting.