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Taylor Swift donates $100,000 to fundraiser for Kansas City woman killed in Chiefs parade shooting

Taylor Swift in a red Chiefs sweatshirt cheers next to Brittany Mahomes and child.
David Eulitt
/
Getty Images
Taylor Swift celebrates a touchdown during the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers game at Arrowhead Stadium on Oct. 22 in Kansas City, Mo.

“Sending my deepest sympathies and condolences in the wake of your devastating loss,” the GoFundMe donation read. “With love, Taylor Swift.” Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a mother and a local radio DJ, is so far the sole person killed in the mass shooting at Union Station.

A GoFundMe to support the family of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, the woman killed in Wednesday’s shooting at the Chiefs parade, has easily met its goal thanks to a $100,000 donation from pop star Taylor Swift.

Lopez-Galvan, a Shawnee mother of two and a radio DJ on KKFI, was 43 years old.

“Sending my deepest sympathies and condolences in the wake of your devastating loss,” the donation read. “With love, Taylor Swift.”

The fundraiser was organized by a family member and set a goal of $75,000. Swift’s twin donations of $50,000 each pushed the total over the top.

“She was an amazing mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend to so many,” the fundraiser read. “We ask that you continue to keep her family in your prayers as we grieve the loss of her life. This fund will help provide vital financial support to her family as they process this unthinkable tragedy.”

A screenshot of the GoFundMe fundraiser for Lisa Lopez-Galvan shows a contribution from Taylor Swift. She made two donations of $50,000 each.
GoFundMe
A screenshot of the GoFundMe fundraiser for Lisa Lopez-Galvan shows a contribution from Taylor Swift. She made two donations of $50,000 each.

Around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, gunfire erupted near Union Station at the end of the Super Bowl victory rally where thousands of Chiefs fans were gathered. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said the shooting stemmed from an argument, although the circumstances remain unclear.

Police reported that 22 other people were injured by gunshots, and hospitals treated several others hurt by the resulting rush out of the area.

Two teenagers are in custody, and prosecutors have not filed any charges as of Friday morning.

Kansas City fans widely hoped that Swift — who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce — would appear at the parade, and many of the attendees were there specifically for a chance to see her. Swift was in the suites at the Super Bowl on Sunday to watch the Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers, having flown from her Eras Tour stop in Japan to Las Vegas.

Instead of returning to Kansas City with the team, however, Swift flew to Australia for the next leg of her tour. She performed Friday night in Melbourne (which is 17 hours ahead of Kansas City) in front of almost 100,000 fans.

Swift has visited Kansas City numerous times since her relationship with Kelce went public this fall, attending several games at Arrowhead Stadium and wearing locally-made merchandise.

Swift did not make a public statement about her donations to Lopez-Galvan’s fundraiser. But fans noticed her name on the GoFundMe list of top donors, attracting even more people to chip in. The fundraiser is now well above $200,000 and still rising.

Variety reported that it confirmed the donations with Swift’s team.

Close-up of a fake, leafy wall with an image of a young woman (Taylor Swift) holding her hands above her head in the shape of a heart. The word "Lover" is spelled next to her and surrounded by flowers.
Carlos Moreno
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KCUR 89.3
Ahead of the Super Bowl, a display at Union Station's Grand Ballroom featured Taylor Swift.

Lopez-Galvan and the other victims were honored Thursday night at a memorial vigil at the Skywalk Memorial Park, next to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.

“I think I can speak on behalf of our community: We’re sad, we’re heartbroken, but most of all, we’re angry that her life ended so tragically,” said Rosina Valdivia, whose sons grew up with Lopez-Galvan. “I hope her legacy lives on through her family, and I know our community will keep her legacy going on.”

As the Johnson County Post reports, childhood friend Christina Nuñez told vigil attendees that Lopez-Galvan was a central part of the Hispanic community, the Westside neighborhood and greater Kansas City.

“She was here to do good, she was a good person,” Nuñez said. “This was senseless. And it’s just so hard to understand. I hope that we can learn from this, but I hate that God took such a beautiful person. It’s going to take a long time for a lot of us to understand and heal from this. It’s just a tragedy.”

Swift has a history of contributing to GoFundMe campaigns. In fact, TIME Magazine reports, she was the reason why GoFundMe increased its donation limit in 2015. Swift attempted to give $50,000 to the fundraiser of 11-year-old Naomi Oakes, a leukemia patient who used Swift’s song “Bad Blood” in a video, but Swift had to pay in four installments.

“Taylor Swift’s donation was so generous that it required us to increase the donation limit on the platform,” CEO Rob Solomon said in a statement at the time.

GoFundMe has so far verified two other fundraisers for people affected by Wednesday’s tragedy.

Juliana Garcia of the Johnson County Post contributed to this report.
 

As KCUR’s Audience Editor, I ask the questions: What do people need from us, and how can we best deliver it? I work across departments and projects to ensure our entire community is represented in and best served by our journalism. I help lead KCUR’s digital efforts to make our station more responsive, more competitive and more engaging. Contact me at gabe@kcur.org
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