Woman killed in Kansas City shooting was a popular radio host
Wednesday was a day that Elizabeth Galvan and thousands of Kansas City Chiefs fans had long waited for.
But a chance to savor the team's Super Bowl victory was abruptly cut short when gunfire rang out in the afternoon near Union Station, where a rally was being held for the Chiefs, sending dozens of fans fleeing for safety.
Caught in the gunfire was Ms. Galvan, 43, who police said Thursday was killed in the shooting. At least 22 others were injured, authorities said.
“She was loved by many,” Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a news conference Thursday.
Mrs. Galvan, also known as Lisa Lopez-Galvan, was well known in the Kansas City area. She hosted the radio program “Taste of Tejano,” broadcast on KKFI, a local radio station. She had a daughter and a son. And she was an avid Chiefs fan.
Her son Marc was also at the meeting and was shot in the leg, KKFI said Thursday. He was treated at a hospital and later released.
Ms. Lopez-Galvan was a disc jockey for more than 15 years, performing for all kinds of audiences with music in English and Spanish, according to KKKFI. In March 2022, she was asked to co-host “Taste of Tejano” with Tommy Andrade and Monica Frias, a show she had been listening to for years, according to the radio station. The program features Tejano music and news.
Lisa Lopez, a friend of Ms. Lopez-Galvan, said in an interview that Ms. Lopez-Galvan was known for inviting her close friends to her garage to watch football games. Ms. Lopez said she and Ms. Lopez-Galvan, who were not related, often called each other “tocaya,” Spanish for “namesake,” because of their similar names.
Ms. Lopez-Galvan's passion for the Chiefs was so strong that she was superstitious about watching the team's games with the same people every week, hoping it would bring good luck to the team, Ms. Lopez said. She said Ms. Lopez-Galvan would not even let anyone new join the group.
Describing Ms. Lopez-Galvan as the life and soul of the party, Ms. Lopez said she recently joined a group that helped organize Fiesta Hispana, an annual festival in downtown Kansas City.
“She was loved by everyone in our community,” said Ms. Lopez, an executive administrative assistant at The Kansas City Star newspaper. “Our Hispanic community has lost a beautiful, wonderful person.”
Jacey Fortin reporting contributed.