Chiefs Fan Says He Helped Apprehend Man Holding Bag of Guns After Shooting, Said Part of Face Was Shot Off (Exclusive)
Tony Janssens tells PEOPLE he collided with the gun-wielding man while fleeing after gunshots were fired after yesterday's Kansas City Chiefs parade
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While fleeing after gunshots were fired during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade on Wednesday, Navy veteran Tony Janssens tells PEOPLE he literally ran into the back of a gun-wielding man — then helped law enforcement apprehend the man.
Janssens was standing about 10-feet away when gunshots rang out in a mass shooting that killed one woman and injured 22 others.
Just after the parade concluded, the lifelong Chiefs fan heard gunshots coming from a few feet away from him. “I saw a guy laying on the ground with about four shots on his side," Janssens says.
He sprinted through the crowd, urging people to evacuate, and while doing so, he says he ran into the back of a person holding a bag. “He’s missing his jaw. He had been shot in the face and his whole jaw was missing,” Janssens says.
Janssens says that at the time, he “didn't know if this guy needed help, as a victim, if he was just a bystander, or if he was actually part of the shooting.”
Related: Chiefs Parade Shooting Victim Identified as Local Radio DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan, Station Says
Janssens says he watched the man pass a bag to two men wearing big, heavy jackets — which seemed suspicious in the 65-degree weather.
“It just didn’t make sense,” he says.
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Janssens found a law enforcement officer and led him to the three suspicious-looking men.
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As Janssens and the officer approached, Janssens says men started running, and Janssens and the officer ran after them.
Related: Kansas City Chiefs Parade Shooting Was 'Dispute Between Several People' and Not 'Terrorism': Police
“We are running down the street and I'm yelling just, 'Hey, this is the guy,'” Janssens says. “Tackle him! Tackle him!”
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Gett
“Three other brave individuals heard me and thankfully stepped up when they needed to and tackled him,” Janssens says.
Related: Teen at Chiefs Parade Shooting Reveals How Coach Andy Reid Comforted Him: 'He Was Hugging Me'
Janssens says he saw an array of guns in the man’s backpack, including what looked to be an assault rifle with an extended clip.
“This situation could have been a thousand times worse,” he says.
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