Prosecutor drops murder charge against shooter at Chiefs rally, citing state’s self-defense laws

A man who initially faced a murder charge for opening fire following the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2024 Super Bowl win was sentenced Monday to two years in prison in a case 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 to start shooting in the melee that sent players, city officials and hundreds of fans scrambling for cover, according to court records.

The gunfire erupted outside Kansas City’s historic Union Station as the celebration that drew an estimated 1 million fans was concluding. Lisa Lopez-Galvan, the host of a local radio show, was killed while watching the rally with her family. About two dozens other people, many of them children, were wounded but survived.

All told, 12 people brandished firearms, with the guns 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 charged defendant was the initial aggressor or did not act in lawful self-defense or defense of others to overcome justification,” the Jackson County prosecutor’s office said in a written statement.

An email seeking comment was sent to Miller’s attorney.

The second-degree murder charge Miller initially faced carried a sentence of 10 years to life in prison.

But Missouri is among more than 30 states that have adopted some version of stand-your-ground laws over the past two decades. While earlier laws allowed people to use force to protect themselves in their homes, the stand-your-ground principle provides even broader self-defense rights regardless of the location.

Police and prosecutors have said the shooting barrage started when one group of people confronted another for staring at them. Lyndell Mays is accused of being the first person to start firing. After that, a 15-year-old began to shoot toward Mays and hit Miller, who also admitted firing several shots.

Authorities initially said ballistics linked the bullet that killed Galvan to a handgun Miller admitted firing, but prosecutors said in their latest statement that there wasn’t enough evidence to confirm his shot caused Galvan’s death. The statement said Galvan’s family was consulted and that they understood the legal challenges.

“The greatest justice would be having Lisa back, but since that is not possible, accountability still matters,” the family said in a statement released through the prosecutor’s office. “We also share the hope expressed in court that change can come from this and that people recognize the importance of making better choices.”

Mays, meanwhile, is scheduled to stand trial next year on charges that include second-degree murder. The 15-year-old involved was sentenced previously to a state facility for youths.