Grey Lion Tours misses out on carrying Mahomes and Kelce as tragedy strikes parade

Fates nearly aligned on Wednesday for George Hetzel's Grey Lion Tours party bus out of Nashville to escort mega star Taylor Swift, her boyfriend — Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce — and Super Bowl LVIII MVP Patrick Mahomes during the Kansas City Chiefs celebration, their third championship parade in five years.

But before Chiefs fans could continue the wave of support for their NFL team, tragedy struck as a shooter opened fire near the city's Union Station, killing one and injuring at least 10.

Hetzel said it was tragic learning of the shooting. His bus and staff left the site before the shooting incident occurred.

"We are truly saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred outside of Union Station at the conclusion of today's parade and rally," the team said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Our hearts to out the victims, their families and all of Kansas City.

Hetzel was experiencing his second consecutive Super Bowl parade with the Chiefs, despite being based in Nashville.

The double-decker bus expected to carry players during the parade, but around 4:30 a.m., Hetzel said it failed to start due to a modular issue. The problem was eventually fixed.

"We were supposed to have Mahomes and Kelce," Hetzel said. Instead, the two superstars rode on a different bus, one spot ahead in the procession.

Hetzel said Monday it was his goal to carry Kelce and Swift, a Nashville pop icon, saying Nashvillians sticks together.

Swift was also not in attendance at Wednesday's parade as she headed to Australia to prepare for her upcoming "Eras Tour" show in Melbourne.

In the end, fate pushed Grey Lion away from Swift and Kelce sharing magical moments on a Nashville bus. There's always next year if the Chiefs can win their third consecutive Super Bowl.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville party bus staff safe following Super Bowl rally shooting