The mother of a man charged with murder over the Kansas City Super Bowl parade shooting set has up a GoFundMe for him – as his sister insists he’s not a monster.
Teneal Burnside set up the cash appeal for her alleged killer son Lyndell Mays, 23, complete with a photo of him seriously-ill in his hospital bed.
He was among those shot at the celebration on February 14 – and was blasted nine times. Prosecutors now say Mays was one of the two men to blame for the horrific bloodbath, although his unnamed sister insists he was just trying to protect her.
Pleading for cash, Burnside said Mays was going through a ‘tragic time’, adding: ‘He is in ICU fighting for a recovery from several surgeries, from going to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration parade with his older sister.
‘Getting shot multiple times at a time that was ment (sic) to bring so much joy to many has bought (sic) pain and sadness to all that was attending.’
On Tuesday, Mays was charged with second-degree murder over last week’s shooting which killed DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan. The fundraiser collected $100 before being taken down.
Mays remains in a stable condition in hospital and is being held under armed guard, with bail set at $1m. Facebook photos seen by DailyMail.com show him posing a with huge wads of cash.
Prosecutors say the other man charged, 18 year-old Dominic Miller, was the one who fired the fatal shot.
The family of 23 year-old Lyndell Mays set up this GoFundMe for him before he was charged over the Kansas City Super Bowl parade shooting, which killed one
Mays was blasted nine times. Also charged is Dominic Miller, 18, who prosecutors say fired the shot which killed the one person killed – DJ Lisa Lopez Galvan
Mays is pictured prior to the shooting. His sister insists he’s ‘not a monster’ and is innocent of the second-degree murder charges
Mays pulled out his gun first during the February 14 shooting, prosecutors say, with 25 struck by bullets in the ensuing violence
Mays and his fellow murder suspect Dominic Miller are both being treated at this Kansas City hospital
They’ve charged Mays over claims he pulled his gun first during an argument which turned deadly and that he too fired shots during the ensuing carnage, which prosecutors say injured 25.
Those allegations were refuted by his sister, who told DailyMail.com that Mays was ‘innocent’ and ‘protecting her.’
The sibling, who asked to remain anonymous, said: ‘For them to make my brother out to be a monster, it really hurts me inside because he was only trying to protect us.
‘He doesn’t deserve to be thrown in it like that. My brother is tall and broad, he’s hefty. They were young kids and little guys, trying to prove a point.
One juvenile in a red hooded sweater is seen hastily pulling his backpack off him as if he is reaching for something within it during the fracas
Eye witnesses claimed that this man seen holding a bloodied hand over his mouth had been shot in the face during the fight
‘They had been looking at him, and they approached us, they walked closer they had been staring at him. We can see that they have guns in their pockets.
‘We never walked up to them, they walked up to us.’
‘One boy I asked how old he was, and he said he was 15. I tried to say we’re here to celebrate, we’re not here to fight or start violence.
Mays has also been charged with armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon following the shooting on Valentine’s Day at the Super Bowl LVIII.
People flee after shots were fired near the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory parade on February 14, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri
A woman with a large cut on her face was seen being stretchered away from the scene
His sister added: ‘They had been looking at him, and they approached us, they walked closer they had been staring at him. We can see that they have guns in their pockets.
‘We never walked up to them, they walked up to us. One boy I asked how old he was, and he said he was 15. I tried to say we’re here to celebrate, we’re not here to fight or start violence.’
At least 30 people were injured in the shooting, which saw one person killed and 25 suffering gunshot wounds. Police confirmed those injured range in age from eight to 47, half of them under the age of 16.
Investigators say that Mays pulled his weapon but did not fire first, with his sister claiming that she tried to get her brother to leave.
She added that the ringleader of the group said ‘you better get him’ to his friends, before she tried to calm the situation.
‘I turned around and I heard the gunshots, and it was in slow motion,’ she told DailyMail.com.
‘Everything was happening and I was trying to get out of harm’s way but I do see my brother shooting back.
‘The bullets were flying at him, he wasn’t shooting at them he was just shooting. I see him fall to the ground. There was a nurse who helped us, and saved his life.’
Police have confirmed that May’s gun was not the weapon which killed DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan, but say he pulled out his firearm first.
Dominic Miller, 19, is facing the same charges, with authorities saying that he is believed to have fired the fatal shot.
Both men remain in hospital with injuries following the shooting and are being guarded 24/7 by officers, prosecutor Jean Peters Baker confirmed.
If found guilty, the two could face life behind bars and are being held on a $1,000,000 bond.
Mays family accept that he should face charges relating to possession of a weapon and shooting into a crowd but hit out at prosecutors for charging him with murder.
‘He didn’t murder that lady. The bullet of the other guy killed her. Why has he been charged with that?,’ his sister added.
‘The other charges fine, we understand that. We just want our voices to be heard and his, it’s not fair to paint him as a monster. What if they come and try to finish the job?
‘My brother is a homeboy, he’s not in the streets. He stays in the house with his girlfriend and cuddles. He is not a bad person.
‘But at the same time who is going to be a protector for us. People don’t understand what I witnessed, and I saw, however they released it they turned everything around and it makes me so angry.’
His family have hit out at prosecutors for failing to tell them they were releasing Mays name and charging him with murder, saying it’s ‘f***ed up’, and added they ‘don’t care for their safety.’
They set up a GoFundMe for Mays before he was charged by police and have since removed the fundraiser over fear of retribution.
His father added: ‘What was he supposed to do with those guys coming up to him with semi-automatic weapons.
‘It wasn’t his gun that killed the woman. We aren’t safe, the hate they’ve been giving the other guy, that was innocent, he was receiving death threats.
‘What do you think we are going to get. It’s a nightmare.
‘Our son is not that kind of guy, he’s a kindhearted guy who got caught up in a bad situation. He got scared because of those guns.
He knew they had guns, what was he supposed to do did they just want him to get shot down dead. He didn’t even shoot first.’
Mays and Miller are not the two juveniles that had been charged with gun-related offenses and resisting arrest last week.
Baker added that Jackson County Prosecutors Office was ‘not done yet’ and that a number of other suspects who were involved in the shooting are being sought.
Tributes have poured in for mother-of-two Lisa, who passed away during emergency surgery in hospital after sustaining a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Her devastated family thanked Jackson County Prosecutors office and Kansas City Police in a new statement on Tuesday following the charges.
They added: ‘The effort and dedicated hours spent to expeditiously investigate this senseless act of violence is extremely commendable.
‘It is reassuring for our family and the entire community to know that this joint team effort has resulted in the identification of the suspects involved.
‘Though it does not bring back our beloved Lisa, it is comforting to know that the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office and the KCPD made it a top priority to seek justice for Lisa, the other shooting victims, those who had to witness this tragedy unfold and the Kansas City community.’
Counselling sessions have been set up on Wednesday for those affected by the shooting, with police urging anyone injured in the shooting, including those who were trampled, to contact police to assist with enquiries.
