Missouri drops murder charge against man who opened fire at Super Bowl rally | US crime
A man who initially faced a murder charge for opening fire after the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2024 Super Bowl victory was sentenced Monday to two years in prison in a case that prosecutors said was complicated by the state’s self-defense laws.
Dominic Miller, who pleaded guilty to a weapons charge as part of a plea deal, was among at least six people who began shooting in the melee that sent players, city officials and hundreds of fans rushing for cover, according to court records.
The gunfire erupted outside Kansas City’s historic Union Station as the celebration that drew about a million fans ended. Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a local radio show host, was killed while watching the rally with her family. About two dozen other people, including many children, were injured but survived.
A total of 12 people brandished firearms, with weapons found at the scene including at least two AR-style rifles, according to court records.
“Under Missouri’s self-defense and defense of others doctrines, we must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any defendant was the original aggressor or did not act in self-defense or defense of others to overcome justification,” the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office said in a written statement.
The second-degree murder charge Miller initially faced carried a sentence of 10 years to life in prison.
But Missouri is one of about 30 states that have passed one version or another of standstill laws over the past two decades. While previous laws allowed people to use force to protect themselves in their homes, the principle of defense provides even broader self-defense rights, regardless of location.
Police and prosecutors said the shooting began when one group of people confronted another who was staring at them. Lyndell Mays is accused of being the first person to shoot.
After that, a 15-year-old began shooting toward Mays and hit Miller, who also admitted to firing several shots. Miller spent more than two years in custody, including several months hospitalized in critical condition, his attorney, David Wiegert, said in a written statement.
“While we are very pleased to see his freedom restored, we remain concerned that he was charged with murder in the first place,” Wiegert said.
Although he expressed his “deepest condolences” to Galvan’s family, Wiegert said a person who unintentionally strikes a third party while attempting to legally defend themselves or others is exempt from criminal liability under state law.
Authorities initially said ballistics linked the bullet that killed Galvan to a handgun that Miller admitted to firing, but prosecutors said in their latest statement that there was not enough evidence to confirm his firing caused Galvan’s death.
The statement said Galvan’s family was consulted and understood the legal challenges.
“The greatest justice would be to get Lisa back, but since this is not possible, the responsibility remains great,” the family said in a statement released by the prosecutor’s office. “We also share the hope expressed in court that change can result and that people recognize the importance of making better choices. »
Mays, meanwhile, is scheduled to stand trial in 2027 on charges including second-degree murder. The 15-year-old involved has already been sentenced to a state youth facility.
