Six months after Gabriella Magers-Darger\u2019s legs were burned by sparks from a ricocheted bullet at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade in February, the 14-year-old is ready to leave the past behind.<\/p>\n

She is dreading the pitfalls of being a high school freshman, even as she looks forward to being back with friends and at color guard, dance, and volleyball. She might even join the wrestling team to get some respect at school.<\/p>\n

At a July Fourth gathering, a family friend brought noise-canceling headphones in case the fireworks became too much. Earlier in the summer Gabriella had a hard time viewing a relative\u2019s gun collection, the handguns in particular. And she hyperventilated when she saw a family friend\u2019s finger after it was sliced by accident \u2014 the sight of blood reminds her of seeing a fatally wounded Lisa Lopez-Galvan minutes after she was shot outside Union Station, the only person killed that day.<\/p>\n

Her mom, Bridget Barton, said Gabriella has had a chip on her shoulder since the parade.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s lost some softness to her, some gentleness to her,\u201d Barton said.<\/p>\n

Children are particularly vulnerable to the stresses of gun violence, and 10 of 24 people injured by bullets at the Feb. 14 parade were under 18 years old. Countless more children like Gabriella experienced the trauma firsthand. They\u2019ve endured fear, anger, sleep problems, and hypersensitivity to crowds and noises.<\/p>\n

A 15-year-old girl who was shot through the jaw and shoulder effectively dropped out of school for a time and daily panic attacks kept her from summer school, too. An 11-year-old boy shot in the side described feeling angry at school for reasons he couldn\u2019t explain. A 5-year-old girl who was on her father\u2019s shoulders when he was hit by gunfire panics each time her dad feels sick, fearing he has been shot again.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not the same kid. I mean, she\u2019s definitely not,\u201d said Erika Nelson, mother of the 15-year-old, Mireya, who has scars on her jaw and face. \u201cYou never know when she\u2019s going to snap. You never know. You might say something or someone might bring up something that reminds her of that day.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Guns overtook motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death for children in 2020, but a far higher number of kids are hit by gunfire and survive. Research suggests<\/a> that kids sustain nonfatal firearm injuries anywhere from <\/a>two to four times more often than they are killed by guns.<\/p>\n
Scientists say the long-term effects of gun violence on kids are little researched and poorly understood. But the harm is pervasive. Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital researchers found<\/a> that during the first year after a firearm injury, child survivors experienced a 117% increase in pain disorders, a 68% increase in psychiatric disorders, and a 144% increase in substance use disorders. The mental health effects spill over \u2014 to mothers, fathers, siblings.<\/p>\n
For many affected by the shooting in Kansas City, Missouri, the triggers began right away.<\/p>\n
\u2018I Get Mad Easily\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n
Just 10 days after Samuel Arellano was shot at the parade, he attended another big sporting event.<\/p>\n
Samuel was invited to attend a University of Kansas men\u2019s basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence. During a break in the game, with a video camera pointed at Samuel<\/a> and his parents, former KU star Jalen Wilson appeared on the scoreboard and addressed him directly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard about your story,\u201d Wilson, who now plays in the NBA, said on the big screen. \u201cI\u2019m so very thankful that you are here today and it is a blessing that we can have you to give you the love and support you truly deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wilson asked the 16,000 fans in attendance to stand and give Samuel a round of applause. As the crowd clapped and an announcer bellowed about him being a \u201cbrave young man,\u201d Samuel looked at his parents, then down at his feet, smiling shyly.<\/p>\n
But minutes later when the game resumed, Samuel started to cry and had to leave the auditorium with his mom, Abigail.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it got pretty loud, that\u2019s when he started breaking up again,\u201d his dad, Antonio, said. \u201cSo she had to step out with him for a minute. So any loud places, if it\u2019s too loud, it\u2019s affecting him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel, who turned 11 in March, was shot in the ribs on his right side. The scar on his back is barely noticeable now, but lingering effects from the parade shooting are obvious. He is seeing a therapist \u2014 as is his father, though Abigail has had a tough time finding a Spanish-speaking one and still hasn\u2019t had an appointment.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSamuel Arellano\u2019s parents, Antonio and Abigail, were not at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade when Samuel was shot in the side, but they\u2019ve been helping him navigate the lingering emotional effects of the trauma.\t\t\t\t\t\t(Christopher Smith for KFF Health News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tArellano\u2019s bullet wound healed quickly after he was shot in the side at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade in February. But he still struggles from the lingering emotional toll of the trauma.\t\t\t\t\t\t(Christopher Smith for KFF Health News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Samuel had trouble sleeping in the first weeks after the shooting and often crawled in bed with his mom and dad. He used to get good grades, but that became more difficult, Abigail said. His personality has changed, which sometimes has shown up at school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get mad easily,\u201d Samuel said. \u201cI [have] never been like this before but like, if they tell me to sit down, I get mad<\/span>. I don\u2019t know why.\u201d<\/p>\n
Traumatized children often have difficulty expressing emotions and may be given to outbursts of anger, according to Michelle Johnson-Motoyama<\/a>, a professor of social work at Ohio State University.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure for that child there is a sense of tremendous injustice about what happened,\u201d Johnson-Motoyama said.<\/p>\n
Especially right after the shooting, Samuel had panic attacks, Antonio said, and he\u2019d break out in a sweat. Therapists told them that was normal. But the parents also kept him off his phone for a while, as there was so much about the shooting on the news and online.<\/p>\n
Abigail, who works at a car dealership with Antonio, is anxious about seeing her son change, his suffering and sadness. She is also concerned for her three daughters, a 16-year-old and 13-year-old twins. Her father, Victor Salas, who was with Samuel at the parade, was also reeling in its aftermath.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m crying and crying and crying about what happened,\u201d Salas said in Spanish four days after the parade. \u201cBecause it was chaos. It doesn\u2019t mean that families don\u2019t love their family, but everyone took off to save their own lives. I saved my grandchildren\u2019s lives, but what happens to the rest of the people? We\u2019re not prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the good side, Samuel felt very supported by the community in Kansas City, Kansas. Many people from his school stopped by in the first few days to visit, including friends and even a former bus driver, who was in tears. He has a \u201croom full of candy,\u201d Abigail said, mostly Skittles, his favorite.<\/p>\n
An autographed football from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes arrived on his birthday. It made him cry, his father said, which happens pretty often.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are good and bad days, days that are more normal and easier, and then there are days where the family has to be a little bit more aware and supportive,\u201d Abigail said in Spanish. \u201cHe\u2019s always been outgoing and talkative like his mom, but that has changed since the parade.\u201d<\/p>\n
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After the shooting, Arellano received support from his Kansas City, Kansas, community, including friends and even a former bus driver, who was in tears. He has a room full of candy from the visits, mostly Skittles, his favorite.(Christopher Smith for KFF Health News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Fourth of July a Weeklong Trigger<\/strong><\/p>\n
The Fourth of July was particularly harrowing for many of the young survivors and their families. Should they buy fireworks? Will they want to celebrate? And why do all the firecrackers going off in the neighborhood sound like gunshots?<\/p>\n
Fourteen-year-old Gabriella needed help from her stepfather, Jason Barton, to light her fireworks this year, something she is ordinarily enthusiastic about doing herself. At the parade, like many people, the Barton family initially mistook the sound of gunfire for fireworks.<\/p>\n
And Erika Nelson, a single mom in Belton, Missouri, feared even bringing up the holiday with Mireya, who has always loved Independence Day. Eventually Mireya said she didn\u2019t want any big fireworks this year and wanted only her mom to set theirs off.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust any little trigger \u2014 I mean, it could be a light crackle \u2014 and she just clenched,\u201d Erika Nelson said.<\/p>\n
Patty Davis, a program manager for trauma-informed care at Children\u2019s Mercy hospital in Kansas City, said even her clients who were at the parade but were not injured still flinch at the sounds of sirens or other loud noises. It\u2019s a powerful response to gun violence, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo not just an accidental trauma,\u201d she said, \u201cbut a trauma that was perpetrated for violent purposes, which can cause an increased level of anxiety for persons around that to wonder if it\u2019s going to happen again. And how safe are they?\u201d<\/p>\n
Reliving Getting Shot<\/strong><\/p>\n
Random sounds, bright lights, and crowds can catch the kids and their parents off guard. In June, Mireya Nelson was waiting for her older sister after a dance recital, hoping to see a boy she knew give a flower to a girl everyone said he had a crush on. Her mom wanted to go, but Mireya shushed her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen all of a sudden, there was a loud boom,\u201d Erika said. \u201cShe dropped low<\/span> to the ground. And then she jumped back up. She goes, \u2018Oh my God, I was getting shot again!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Mireya said it so loudly people were staring, so it was Erika\u2019s turn to shush her and try to soothe her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like, \u2018Mireya, it\u2019s OK. You\u2019re all right. They dropped a table. They\u2019re just moving stuff out. It was an accident,\u2019\u201d Erika said.<\/p>\n
It took a few minutes for the shock to wear off and Mireya later giggled about it, but Erika is always on watch.<\/p>\n
Her daughter\u2019s early sadness \u2014 she watched movies for hours, crying throughout \u2014 has since changed to a cheekiness. Half a year later, Mireya will joke about the shooting, which tears her mother up. But maybe that is part of the healing process, Erika says.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMireya Nelson was one of at least 24 people injured by gunfire during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade on Feb. 14, 2024. Here, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany, visit her at Children\u2019s Mercy hospital.\t\t\t\t\t\t(Erika Nelson)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA bullet went through the jaw of Mireya Nelson during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade on Feb. 14, 2024. She also has bullet fragments in her shoulder and will need to have her blood tested for lead for at least the next two years.\t\t\t\t\t\t(Erika Nelson)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Before the Fourth of July, Mireya went to Worlds of Fun, a large amusement park, and had a good time. She felt OK because there were security guards everywhere. She also enjoyed a visit to the local FBI office with a friend who was with her the day of the shooting. But when someone suggested a trip to the ballet, Mireya squashed it quickly \u2014 it\u2019s near Union Station, the site of the shooting. She doesn\u2019t want to go downtown anymore.<\/p>\n
Erika said the doctor appointments and financial strains have been a lot to juggle and that her biggest frustration as a parent is that she\u2019s not able to fix things for her daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have to go their own way, their own process of healing. I can\u2019t shake her, like, \u2018Get back to yourself,\u2019\u201d Erika said. \u201cIt could take months, years. Who knows? It could be the rest of her life. But I hope that she can overcome a little bit of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goose Bumps in the Sweltering Heat<\/strong><\/p>\n
James Lemons noticed a change in his 5-year-old daughter, Kensley, who was on his shoulders when he was shot at the parade. Before the shooting Kensley was outgoing and engaged, James said, but now she is withdrawn, like she has closed off her bubble and disconnected from people.<\/p>\n
Large crowds and police officers remind Kensley of the parade. Both were present at a high school graduation the family attended this summer, prompting Kensley to ask repeatedly to leave. James took her to an empty football field, where, he said, she broke out in goose bumps and complained of being cold despite the sweltering heat.<\/p>\n
Bedtime is a particular problem for the Lemons family. Kensley has been sleeping with her parents. Another child, 10-year-old Jaxson, has had bad dreams. One night, he dreamt that the shooter was coming near his dad and he tripped him, said Brandie Lemons, Jaxson\u2019s stepmom.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKensley Lemons (left) and Jaxson Lemons wait in the hallway of a medical clinic while their father, James, gets care for his bullet wound. James Lemons was shot at the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City, Missouri, on Feb. 14, 2024.\t\t\t\t\t\t(Peggy Lowe\/KCUR 89.3)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKensley Lemons plays outside a medical clinic while waiting for her dad, James, who had a bullet removed from his leg. Kensley was on her father\u2019s shoulders when he was shot at the Super Bowl parade.\t\t\t\t\t\t(Peggy Lowe\/KCUR 89.3)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Younger children like Kensley exposed to gun violence are more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder than older children, according to Ohio State\u2019s Johnson-Motoyama.<\/p>\n
Davis, of Children\u2019s Mercy in Kansas City, said children whose brains are not fully developed can have a hard time sleeping and understanding that they are safe in their homes at night.<\/p>\n
James got the family a new puppy \u2014 an American bulldog that already weighs 32 pounds \u2014 to help them feel protected.<\/p>\n
\u201cI looked up the pedigree,\u201d he said, \u201cThey\u2019re real protective. They\u2019re real loving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Searching for an Outlet to Let Off Steam<\/strong><\/p>\n
Gabriella took up boxing after the shooting. Her mother, Bridget, said it restored some of her confidence and control that dimmed after the parade.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like beating people up<\/span> \u2014 not in a mean way, I swear,\u201d Gabriella said in April as she molded a mouthguard to her teeth before leaving for training.<\/p>\n
She has since stopped boxing, however, so the money can instead go toward a trip to Puerto Rico with her Spanish class. They\u2019re paying $153 a month for 21 months to cover the trip. Boxing classes were $60 a month.<\/p>\n
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Gabriella Magers-Darger is among the countless number of children who experienced the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade in February.(Christopher Smith for KFF Health News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Bridget thought boxing was a good outlet for leftover anger, but by the end of July Gabriella wasn\u2019t sure if she still had the drive to fight back that way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe past is the past but we\u2019re still gonna all, like, go through stuff. Does that make sense?\u201d Gabriella asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re mostly OK but you still have triggers. Is that what you mean?\u201d her mother asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n
After the shooting, Mireya Nelson tried online classes, which didn\u2019t work well. The first few days of summer school, Mireya had a panic attack every day in the car and her mother took her home.<\/p>\n
Mireya wants to return to high school this fall, and Erika is wary.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, if I do go back to school, there\u2019s a chance at school of being shot, because most schools nowadays get shot up,\u201d Erika recalled her daughter saying. \u201cAnd I\u2019m like, \u2018Well, we can\u2019t think like that. You never know what\u2019s gonna happen.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
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