Heavy/Getty/Hallmark Hallmark's Janel Parrish and Tyler Hynes
Actress Janel Parrish has shed new light on her harrowing experience when gunfire erupted at the Kansas City Chiefs‘ Super Bowl victory parade on February 14, 2024. She and fellow Hallmark star Tyler Hynes had to run “out of harm’s way,” she revealed to her nearly 11 million Instagram followers two days after the mass shooting.
After starring in a movie trailer parody that promoted the Chiefs’ postseason run and quickly went viral, the duo was thrilled to be included in the parade festivities. But as Chiefs players left the stage at the end of the celebration, police say a dispute among attendees turned violent, resulting in 22 people injured by gunfire — half of them children — and one woman dead, according to the Kansas City Star.
Charges have since been filed against two teenagers whom police believe are responsible for the mass shooting, per the outlet.
The otherwise peaceful celebration turned chaotic as shots were fired and “everybody was running in different directions,” one woman told NBC News. Among those running for safety were Parrish, Hynes and Atipa Mabonga, the Chiefs’ influencer and culture coordinator.
“These two wonderful humans were with me and helped keep me strong as we ran out of harm’s way,” Parrish wrote over a photo of herself with Hynes and Mobonga, which she shared in an Instagram Story on February 16.
“Our beloved Hallmark team was there as well,” she continued, “and I’m so glad they’re all safe.”
Though Parrish said she didn’t yet have “all the words” she needed to relay the shock and grief of the experience, she expressed her sympathy to everyone impacted by the “senseless act of violence that occurred.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Janel Parrish Pays Tribute to Victims of Parade Shooting
GettyPeople flee after shots were fired near the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory parade on February 14, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri.
The woman who died in the parade shooting was local radio host and event DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan, according to the Associated Press. A huge fan of Kansas City’s pro sports, she attended the parade with her husband and young adult son. According to local station KMBC, two victims remain in the ICU in critical condition and three of the children injured are still hospitalized.
In Parrish’s Instagram Story recounting her parade experience, she wrote, “I don’t quite have the words yet. All I can really say is I love you Kansas City and I grieve for the beautiful life lost and those who were injured. I love all of you.”
“I’m so grateful we made it out, but I’m sad this senseless act of violence occurred,” she continued. “I’m sending so much love to everyone who was affected by this tragedy.”
Parrish’s photo showed herself, Hynes — her recent co-star in “Never Been Chris’d” — and Mabonga smiling and decked out in Chiefs gear, presumably before the shooting occurred.
“Love you both,” she wrote to them.
“I’m sorry this happened,” Parrish ended her message. “I love you. We have to do better.”
Parrish later posted another photo in her Stories of her dogs curled up on the couch, over which she simply wrote, “Home. 🤍”
Fans Express Concern for Tyler Hynes in His Instagram Comments
Hynes, meanwhile, has not yet commented on the tragedy that unfolded at the Chiefs parade, other than posting a white heart emoji on a black background in his Instagram Stories that night, but multiple fans have shared their concern for him in the comment section of his last post, made as he was Kansas City bound on February 13.
One wrote, “Hope you’re okay and out of harm’s way, @tyler_hynes!”
Another wrote, “@tyler_hynes- are you safe? Hope you were gone by the time everything happened. Awful way to end a happy celebration.”
“I sure hope you’re safe along with many other people after the shooting at the parade,” someone else commented. “Bless them all”
In the early evening on February 14, an Instagram fan account called Hynies Headquarters did post an image that simply said, “FROM ANDREW … TYLER IS SAFE.”
The post was made after the account received word from the admin of the official Facebook fan group for actor Andrew Walker that Hynes was safe. Walker has known Hynes for 20 years — not only as a fellow Hallmark star, but because his wife, Cassandra, is Hynes’ cousin.
That same night, Parrish let fans know she was safe by tweeting, “I love you, Kansas City. I’m here with you. I’m crying for you. 🤍”