Chiefs parade shooting victim files lawsuit against KC Sports Commission

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – One of the victims from last February’s Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory rally shooting is now suing the Kansas City Sports Commission.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Jackson County Circuit Court on Wednesday afternoon, accuses the Kansas City Sports Commission of failing to provide a safe environment for the rally and parade.

Twenty-three people were injured on Feb. 14, 2024, and one parade-goer was killed just three days after the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of James Lemons, a 40-year-old man from Harrisonville, Missouri, says Lemons was shot in the leg as he and his family tried to escape the gunfire. Kansas City police found that two teenagers pulled their guns and opened fire inside a large crowd.

The lawsuit contains this passage: "The defendant owed the Plaintiff a legal duty to use ordinary care to make the property upon which the Victory Rally was held reasonably safe."

Kansas City radio personality Lisa Lopez-Galvan was killed when the gunfire rang out that day.

The lawsuit compares the size of the crowd near the incident to the 2023 NFL Draft, when 300,000 people crowded around Union Station.

Lemons’ suit said fans in attendance were screened when they entered the area, and required to carry their belongings inside clear bags, unlike the Super Bowl rally.

The lawsuit also accuses the sports commission of failing to provide a safe environment, adequate security, emergency medical personnel or security screenings.

Jackson County court documents also mention the violent year Kansas City saw in 2023, and the 182 murders that happened in Kansas City, Missouri that year, with 170 of those incidents involved guns, according to KCPD data.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Kansas City Sports Commission sent this statement to FOX4:

“We are aware of the recent lawsuit filed against the Sports Commission and disagree with its assertions. Our insurance company is handling everything in relationship to this matter. We will not have further comments as it relates to claims or lawsuits moving forward. For questions relating to security plans for the celebration, we recommend contacting the Kansas City Missouri Police Department.”

FOX4 reached out to the police department’s media unit late Wednesday afternoon, but there was no response as of 4 p.m.

Scott Shachtman, Lemons’ attorney, told FOX4 to his knowledge, his client is the only person who’s filed a lawsuit related to the Super Bowl rally against the sports commission. Lemons said he won’t rule out other plaintiffs stepping forward.