Chiefs rally shooting, KC police union spat, ‘Jordan rules’ for Mahomes: What a week | Opinion

If you found yourself overwhelmed by the dizzying pace of news last week in Kansas City, you’re not alone.

Many developments last week caught our attention. Among those newsworthy stories worth a second look: Second-degree felony murder charges filed against two men in connection with a mass shooting here, the head of the Kansas City police union’s social media diatribe aimed at Jackson County prosecutors, and the NFL’s tight-lipped response to new Oakland Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce’s nonsensical approach to containing Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Chiefs rally shooting, lax gun laws ‘stupid’

On Feb. 20, we learned a verbal spat between two groups unfamiliar with each other led to a mass shooting at Union Station Feb. 14 that left Lisa Lopez-Galvan of Johnson County mortally wounded and 24 others injured by gunfire.

Lyndell Mays, 23 and Dominic M. Miller, 18, were each charged with one count of second-degree felony murder, two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.

Prosecutors allege a bullet fired from Miller’s Taurus 9mm Glock struck Galvan, a 43-year-old mother of two and well-known local disc jockey who was laid to rest this past weekend.

Mays allegedly admitted to firing the first shot from a 9mm Glock firearm, according to a probable cause statement detailing the changes.

After people in the groups exchanged words at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory rally at Union Station, Mays advanced toward the group Miller was with and opened fire, court records indicate.

“Stupid, man,” Mays said during questioning from detectives, according to court records. “Just pulled a gun out and started shooting. I shouldn’t have done that. Just being stupid.”

It’s hard to fathom how an argument between two groups on such a joyous occasion could lead to gun violence. But in gun-crazed Missouri, no one should be surprised. Because of the state’s loose concealed carry laws — some of the nation’s weakest, according to Everytown for Gun Safety — a weapon is all too easy to come by.

KC police union president out of line

Tension between the Kansas City Police Department and the Jackson County prosecutor’s office has cooled since Police Chief Stacey Graves took over for Rick Smith. Because of this improved working relationship, Brad Lemon, president of the Kansas City, Missouri Fraternal Order of Police union that represents Kansas City officers, should not publicly cause a stir.

One day before charges were filed in the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Union Station, Lemon posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, to sound off on a previous mass shooting Jan. 17 at nearby Crown Center.

In that incident, six people were shot, according to police. Subjects have been identified, police said. But the investigation is ongoing, law enforcement officials have said. Those developments didn’t prevent Lemon from sounding off.

“It’s been 33 days since the Crown Center shooting,” Lemon wrote on X. “No one has been charged. Would the same be said in Clay, Platte, Cass, or any other county in the metro? Stop the hand-wringing. File the charges!!!!”

In a statement, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker felt it necessary to answer Lemon’s public display of pettiness.

“A recent tweet by the FOP that suggests charges are not being filed in the Crown Center shootings that occurred last month was misguided and uninformed,” Baker said in the statement. “We cannot detail further at this time the status of that investigation in order to protect officer safety and the investigation itself.”

We’re certain there are details the public doesn’t know about the Jan. 17 shooting at the shopping center. For now, we will let the legal process play out.

But Lemon’s online remarks were pointless and do little to help the department’s rank and file. The comments undermine the improved working relation between Graves and Baker, two of the top law enforcement officials in Jackson County.

‘Jordan rules’ for Chiefs’ Mahomes?

We get it: Comparing Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to NBA all-time great Michael Jordan is easy to do. Both transcend their respective sports. But new Oakland Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce may have pushed the envelope in regard to slowing down Mahomes and his team.

During a recent appearance on Oakland defensive end Maxx Crosby’s “The Rush” podcast, Pierce talked openly of establishing some sort of ”Jordan rules” to contain Mahomes. For the uninitiated, the Jordan rules were tactics used by the NBA’s Detroit Pistons in the 1990s to slow down Jordan. Physical, dirty play was the norm when the two teams met.

“We gotta knock off the head of the snake — 15,” Pierce said on the podcast.

Of course, 15 refers to Mahomes’ jersey number.

“We’ve got the Jordan rules and we’ve got what I’m calling now as long as I’m here, the Patrick Mahomes rules,” Pierce said. “So you remember when Jordan was going through it with the Pistons, all those guys in the ’80s before he became Air Jordan, the Pistons used to whip his (butt). Any time he came to the hole: elbows, feeling him, love taps, we touched him. We’re in his head, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually. I’m touching you.

“So I showed my guys Jordan getting his (tail) whooped, consistently.”

In a tough, physical, demanding sport such as football, we understand such bravado is necessary to maintain a competitive edge. But the NFL’s silence in response to Pierce’s bold comments concerns us. League officials must address these salacious statements before the Chiefs and Raiders renew their long-standing rivalry next season.

Otherwise, Mahomes’ health could be at risk once the games kick off.