Fans were celebrating alongside the Kansas City Chiefs at Wednesday’s victory parade following their recent 2024 Super Bowl win when gunshots rang out and chaos erupted.
Chiefs offensive lineman Trey Smith told "Good Morning America" that he and his teammates were making their way off the stage at Union Station when he learned there was an active shooter.
"I just remember the security guards ushering us through the doors quickly, saying, 'Come on, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up,'" Smith, 24, told "GMA." "They said, 'This is not a joke. It's a life and death situation.'"
One woman was killed and at least 21 people injured by gunfire in the shooting, according to Kansas City police.
The incident occurred west of Union Station, outside near the garage, as Chiefs fans were leaving, according to police. Three people have been detained for investigation in connection to the shooting, police said.
In the chaos after the shooting, Smith said he and a teammate took shelter in a closet, while helping to guide as many other people as they could to safety.
"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 recalled. "I don't know how many people were in the closet, maybe 20-plus."
He continued, "One of my teammates, my long snapper James Winchester, was very instrumental in helping keep people calm."
MORE: Couple who took down suspected Kansas City shooter detail gunfireOnce Smith and the others who took shelter in the closet were able to safely leave, Smith said they went to the Chiefs' team buses, which were filled with bystanders trying to escape the chaos as the active shooter incident unfolded.
Smith recalled helping to calm one young fan who was "hysterical" after the shooting.
"This little boy was with his father. He was a little hysterical. He just panicked. He was scared. He doesn't know what's going on," Smith said. "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.'"
Smith said he started talking to the boy about wrestling and asking him questions, like who is his favorite wrestler.
MORE: At least 1 killed, 21 wounded during Chiefs’ victory parade"'He was looking out the window. He was seeing people reacting, trying to get out of the situation. I'm like, 'Here you go, buddy, this is yours,'" Smith said of handing the boy the WWE belt, which he and other players had worn during the parade. "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.'"
Smith said he remains shocked by the violence that occurred at the celebration.
"I'm pretty angry. Due to senseless violence, someone lost their life .... Children are injured. Children are traumatized," Smith said. "I'm hurting for, one, the families of the people who got impacted, [and two,] the city of Kansas City."
Smith said that he still believes in the strength of the people of Kansas City, thousands of whom turned out to celebrate the Chiefs' second consecutive Super Bowl win.
"Our hearts go out to you guys. We will continue to pray for you. At the end of the day, Kansas City is a great city," Smith said. "We're going to stand up together and we're going to be strong."
