KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A man who fired a gun at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally and celebration in 2024 was sentenced Monday, but not for murder in connection with the death of Lisa Lopez-Galvan.
Dominic Miller pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful use of a weapon. His second-degree murder charge was dropped. He was sentenced to two years in prison with credit for time served.
On Tuesday, Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said her office’s decision was driven by the limits of Missouri’s self-defense law.
A man who fired a gun at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally and celebration in 2024 was sentenced Monday, but not for murder in connection with the death of Lisa Lopez-Galvan.(KCTV5)
“We don’t make charging decisions based on public pressure, speculation, or assumptions,” Johnson said at a press conference. “We make charging decisions in this office based on what we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Johnson said ballistics could not confirm Miller’s shot killed Lopez-Galvan, and evidence showed he did not fire first.Under Missouri law, prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a defendant was the initial aggressor and was not acting in lawful self-defense.
Johnson presented data showing her office declined 57 cases in 2025 alone because of Missouri’s self-defense law. She said the problem extends beyond the parade shooting.
Johnson described a separate case in which two groups arranged to meet for a confrontation, both sides opened fire simultaneously, and prosecutors could not determine who shot first — resulting in no murder charge being filed despite a death.
Johnson said her office has been working with lawmakers to change the law.
“Something as minor as a simple assault should not warrant the return of lethal force under our applicable self-defense and defense of other doctrines,” Johnson said.
Under Missouri law, prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a defendant was the initial aggressor and was not acting in lawful self-defense.(KCTV5)
Johnson said her office held frequent in-person meetings with the Lopez-Galvan family, consulted them before the plea hearing.
“We would never expect them or ask them to be happy, but we did bring them into every single second of this decision,” Johnson said.
The Lopez-Galvan family released a statement saying in part: “We are saddened by the outcome of the plea agreement. This was not the resolution we desired and had hoped that the case would proceed to trial so that a jury could hear the evidence and have the opportunity to make the decision.”
Johnson said Miller is now a convicted felon barred from possessing a firearm. Two other cases connected to the parade shooting remain pending, and Johnson said she would not comment on specific evidence related to those cases.
“We must be productive and direct our frustration at the laws governing these cases, not exclusively the prosecutors and judges sworn to follow them,” Johnson said. “We will not file charges we cannot prove just to make a statement. We’ll keep working with lawmakers to make tweaks to the laws failing our community.”
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