A defendant who was originally charged with murder for his role in the deadly shooting following the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration received a two-year prison sentence on Monday after prosecutors dropped the murder charge due to Missouri’s self-defense statutes.
Dominic Miller entered a guilty plea to a firearms violation as part of a negotiated agreement. Court documents show Miller was one of at least six individuals who discharged weapons during the chaotic incident that forced players, city leaders, and hundreds of spectators to flee for safety.
The violence broke out near Kansas City’s Union Station as the festivities, which attracted roughly one million attendees, were winding down. Radio host Lisa Lopez-Galvan lost her life while attending the event with her relatives. Approximately 24 additional victims, including many minors, sustained injuries but recovered.
Court filings indicate that 12 individuals displayed weapons during the incident, with confiscated firearms including no fewer than two assault-style rifles.
“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.
Attempts to reach Miller’s legal representative for comment were unsuccessful.
The original second-degree murder accusation against Miller would have resulted in a sentence ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment.
However, Missouri joins more than 30 other states that have enacted various forms of stand-your-ground legislation during the last 20 years. Unlike previous laws that permitted individuals to use force for protection within their residences, stand-your-ground provisions extend broader self-defense protections without regard to location.
Law enforcement officials and prosecutors have stated the shooting spree began when members of one group challenged another for looking at them. Lyndell Mays faces accusations of initiating the gunfire. Subsequently, a 15-year-old opened fire in Mays’ direction, striking Miller, who also acknowledged discharging multiple rounds.
While investigators initially indicated ballistic evidence connected the fatal bullet to Miller’s weapon, prosecutors stated in their recent announcement that insufficient evidence existed to establish his gunshot caused Lopez-Galvan’s death. Officials noted they briefed the victim’s family on the legal obstacles involved.
“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 is set to face trial next year on multiple charges including second-degree murder. The juvenile participant previously received a sentence to a youth correctional facility.
