Chiefs’ Trey Smith shares scene from inside Union Station after shooting began
Just minutes after they had been laughing and singing while celebrating their Super Bowl championship, some Chiefs players were forced to hide in a closet inside Union Station after shooting began outside.
Guard Trey Smith recounted the scene inside Union Station during an interview that was shown on “Good Morning America.”
“I just remember the security guards just ushering us through the doors quickly, just saying, ‘Come on, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up,’” Smith said in a “Good Morning America” video. “OK, this is not a joke. It’s a life and death situation.”
Smith said he ran into a closet with Chiefs teammates and fans who had been sent inside the building for safety.
There were an estimated 20 people crammed in the closet, Smith said, including a child he picked up before shutting the door.
“One of my teammates, my long snapper James Winchester, was very instrumental in helping keep people calm,” Smith recalled. “We ended up getting the green light to be able to get out of there. We ended up walking to the (Chiefs team) buses.”
“Good Morning America” said some fans were temporarily ushered onto the buses for safety’s sake.
It was on the bus that Smith comforted a young fan with the help of the WWE championship belt that Smith had been wearing during the parade.
“This little boy was with his father. He was a little hysterical. He just panicked,” Smith recalled in the interview. “He was scared. He doesn’t know what’s going on. I had the WWE belt the entire parade and I was thinking, ‘Man, 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. Don’t fear. No one’s gonna hurt you, man. We got your back.’”
Smith, who is 6-foot-6 and 321 pounds, makes his living protecting Patrick Mahomes, but on Wednesday he offered to safeguard the young fan.
“We just started talking about wrestling,” Smith said. “Who’s your favorite wrestler? What was your favorite wrestling match and just little things like that, just to take his mind off it. He was looking out the window and he was seeing people you know, just reacting the way they were, trying to get out of that situation.
“So I’m like, ‘Here you go, buddy. This is yours. You know, man, like again, no one’s gonna hurt you. You’re here with us, we’re here to protect you, buddy. You’re gonna be OK. You’re gonna be all right.’”
Smith said he was angry about the mass shooting that left one person dead and 22 others injured.
The thought of children being hurt was particularly upsetting to Smith.
“Due to senseless violence, someone lost their life today,” Smith said. “Young children are injured. Children are traumatized. I’m hurting for, one, the families of the people who got impacted (and) the city of Kansas City.
“Our hearts go out to you guys. You know, we’re thinking and praying for you, but at the end of the day Kansas City as a city we’re gonna stand up together and we’re gonna be strong.”
This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 12:05 PM.
