Chiefs Super Bowl rally murder trial delayed. Defense needs more time
The fall jury trial for one of the men accused of murder in the mass shooting at the Chiefs Super Bowl rally outside Union Station last year has been pushed to next spring, court documents show.
Jackson County Judge Bryan Round on Wednesday canceled the Oct. 6 trial for 24-year-old Lyndell Mays of Raytown and rescheduled it for March 30 after Mays’ attorney requested a delay to prepare his defense.
Mays has been charged with second-degree felony murder, along with two counts of armed criminal action and one count each of unlawful use of a weapon and causing a catastrophe.
Mays, who has been in custody since March 2024, is being held in Jackson County jail on a $1 million cash-only bond.
Mays’ attorney, John A. Reed, requested the continuance due to the “voluminous amount of discovery and evidence” in the case.
“The combination of local, state, and federal law enforcement involved, along with the dozens of witnesses identified by the State, necessitates additional time for review of the evidence and preparation all adding to the additional time needed to complete the discovery process,” Reed wrote in the motion asking for the delay.
The trial date was set before evidence was disclosed, effectively shortening the time needed to prepare for trial, Reed said.
“Absent a continuance in this matter, counsel for Defendant would not be effective,” according to the motion.
The motion noted that Reed had been attempting to schedule and start depositions no later than the end of June and continue them throughout July; however, due to scheduling conflicts and other unspecified variables, the first deposition could not be scheduled until Aug. 11.
“With the amount of evidence to review and the number of witnesses to be deposed there is insufficient time to prepare for the presently scheduled trial setting,” according to the court document.
Dispute erupted in gunfire at celebration
Mays is one of three adults to be charged in the Feb. 14, 2024, shooting, which left 43-year-old Lisa Lopez-Galvan dead. About two dozen others were struck by gunfire, nearly half of whom were children under 16 years old, and about 60 others were injured in the stampede that followed as they fled the area.
Prosecutors have also charged 20-year-old Dominic M. Miller of Kansas City and 22-year-old Terry Young with identical charges of second-degree felony murder, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action.
A jury trial for Miller has been scheduled for Jan. 12. Meanwhile, Young is set to stand trial on March 2. Both are being held in the Jackson County jail on $1 million bonds.
Jackson County prosecutors have said the shooting at the end of the large celebration stemmed from an argument between two groups, in which Miller and Mays were on opposite sides.
Both Miller and Mays were shot in the confrontation. Mays was shot nine times, including in the face.
Mays allegedly pulled his handgun and fired first. Gunfire from Miller’s firearm allegedly struck and killed Lopez-Galvan, according to court documents. Young can allegedly be seen in surveillance video drawing a gun, and he appears to shoot several times, a detective wrote in court documents.
Under Missouri law, a person who did not pull the trigger can still be charged when someone is killed during the commission of a dangerous felony.
