Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith was on hand during their Super Bowl parade in downtown on Wednesday when all heck broke loose.
A mass shooting took place near the end of the parade route, injuring 21 and killing at least one. It represented a sobering reality for Smith and the Chiefs mere days after their epic win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
For Smith and the Chiefs, this brought to the forefront an American-centric problem of mass shootings in today’s society.
The two-time Super Bowl champion and former Tennessee Volunteers star opened up about his experience during an appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America on Thursday. To say that his experience was harrowing would be an understatement.
As Smith tells the story, the offensive lineman and his teammates were making their way off the stage inside Union Station when the shooting happened. Security guards did their thing to help keep Chiefs players out of harm’s way.
“I just remember the security guards ushering us through the doors quickly, saying, ‘Come on, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up,'” Smith told GMA. “They said, ‘This is not a joke. It’s a life and death situation.'”
As the shooting was happening, Smith and a teammate joined roughly 20 others in taking shelter inside a closet.
Related: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs players open up on mass shooting
Trey Smith to child during shooting: ‘No one is gonna hurt you’
As Smith and teammate James Winchester took refuge in a closet, the 24-year-old player noticed a child out in the open. That’s when he jumped into action, grabbing said kid and bringing him into the closet.
“He was looking out the window. He was seeing people reacting, trying to get out of the situation,” Smith said of handing the boy the WWE belt, which he and other players had worn during the parade. “No one is gonna hurt you. You’re here with us. You’re going to be A-OK. You’re going to be all right.”
There are several stories from Chiefs players and personnel coming from the tragedy that took place in Kansas City. This is among them.
It’s a day that they will never forget. It also has Smith and his teammates up in arms over the senseless tragedy.
“I’m pretty angry. Due to senseless violence, someone lost their life. Children are injured. Children are traumatized,” Smith said. “I’m hurting for, one, the families of the people who got impacted, [and two,] the city of Kansas City.”