KANSAS CITY, Kan. – A 10-year-old boy was shot at the Kansas City Chiefs victory rally this week he said the bullet passed centimeters through his lungs and that it was a “miracle” that he was alive.
Fun turned to chaos as Samuel Arellano celebrated the team’s Super Bowl win at a parade Tuesday with his grandfather, uncle and cousin. He said on Friday that immediately after the rally ended, a fight broke out and the crowd started rushing towards the fifth-grader.
What happened next is a bit of a blur, Samuel said. He remembers moving toward the trash can — something he learned in active shooter training at school — and two or three gunshots rang out as he pushed and stomped on it.
The next thing he remembered was a sharp pain in his right side: “It was like something was on fire. It burns with a lighter like a knife, as if someone stabbed me,” he said.
Samuel said the pain was not severe and there was no visible blood on the red Patrick Mahomes jersey he was wearing.
His family returned home 20 minutes after the shooting and later discovered a gunshot wound after removing his shirt.
Samuel said his family was moved to tears when they saw the injury, but he tried to stay strong.
“If I looked at it, I know I would cry a lot,” she said.
But the boy broke down in tears when doctors said he narrowly escaped serious injury as the bullet to the bone missed his lungs by centimeters.
“I started crying. But I was kind of happy because if it had hit my lungs, it would have been a different situation.”
Samuel said the close run was “miraculous”.
Abi Arellano, 34, said when she saw her youngest child’s gunshot wound, she felt no mother was prepared, especially for her young child.
“It’s a pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone,” she said.
Samuel said he had trouble sleeping since he was released from the hospital on Tuesday.
“I get flashbacks like a shot and then I wake up crying,” she said.
total, 23 people including being shot nine children. One of the victims, a famous radio DJ Lisa Lopez-GalvanHe died of his injuries.
TwCharges have been brought against those teenagers filming, but Samuel said that something more needs to be done.
“They need to fix the gun laws,” said the 10-year-old.
Abi Arellano said looking at the Mahomes jersey her son was wearing when he was shot doesn’t make her sad; rather, it makes him happy. Inside jersey number 15 is not only a bullet hole, but also a dark shoe print from where someone stepped on Samuel’s back.
“It’s almost like the uniform saved his life,” Abi Arellano said. “This is my son’s salvation. It’s incredible that nothing happened to my son.”
According to him, because it was made of thick fabric, the bullet that passed through the right arm bounced enough and hit the bone instead of the lungs.
As for Samuel, a “huge” Chiefs fan “since I was little,” he dreams of a career in football. He wants to follow in the footsteps of his hero Mahomes and play quarterback — or maybe tight end like Travis Kelce.
On Friday, the Chiefs announced an emergency fund, KC Strong, in partnership with the United Way of Greater Kansas City to support shooting victims and their families.
Donations will also go toward first responders, violence prevention and mental health services, the team said on Instagram.
In honor of the opening, the Chiefs, the Hunt Family Foundation and the NFL are donating $200,000 to the KC Strong foundation “to ensure we help support victims and first responders in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday’s tragedy.” .