Missouri prosecutors agreed on Monday to drop a second-degree murder charge against a man who had been accused of fatally shooting a female bystander during the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally, a 2024 event that was marred by gunfire and chaos.
The man, Dominic M. Miller, 20, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty instead to one count of unlawful use of a weapon as part of an agreement in Jackson County, Mo., circuit court, according to the court’s public information officer.
He was sentenced to two years in jail, but will receive credit for time already served in the death of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, 43, a D.J. and radio host who was at the parade with her family when gunfire erupted.
If Mr. Miller had been convicted of second-degree murder, he could have faced up to life in prison. Two counts of armed criminal action against him were also dropped.
The violence broke out when a man in the crowd accused another of staring at him, prompting two groups of apparent strangers to exchange threats. Some of the men began shooting, which wounded two dozen people, including nine children as well as Mr. Miller. According to the charging document against Mr. Miller, he told the authorities that he had fired four to five shots.
Two other men are awaiting trial on second-degree murder charges.
In a statement on Monday, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office said it had faced constraints in meeting Missouri’s burden-of-proof requirements to convict Mr. Miller.
“Under Missouri’s self-defense and defense-of-others doctrines, we must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any charged defendant was the initial aggressor or did not act in lawful self-defense or defense of others to overcome justification,” the statement said. “The evidence available showed he was not the first to fire, nor was the available evidence able to confirm his shot caused the victim’s death.”
The statement appeared to contradict a probable cause statement that was filed in the circuit court after Ms. Lopez-Galvan’s death on Feb. 14, 2024.
In that report, Detective Brian Cowan of the Kansas City Police Department wrote that a ballistic test had determined that a .38-caliber bullet recovered from Ms. Lopez-Galvan’s body during an autopsy came from a Taurus G3 9-mm pistol that Detective Cowan said Mr. Miller acknowledged possessing and firing.
Prosecutors said in their statement that they had consulted Ms. Lopez-Galvan’s family throughout the process.
“The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to holding violent actors accountable when the law allows,” the statement said.
In a statement from Ms. Lopez-Galvan’s family, provided by the prosecutor’s office, her relatives said they were continuing to focus on honoring her life and supporting her children and loved ones.
“The greatest justice would be having Lisa back, but since that is not possible, accountability still matters,” the statement said. “We also share the hope expressed in court that change can come from this and that people recognize the importance of making better choices.”
Mr. Miller is expected to be released within days, according to his public defenders, who said in emails on Monday that their client had been seriously wounded during the shooting.
“Mr. Miller spent over two years in custody and several months in the hospital in critical condition because of gunshot wounds he suffered from this incident,” David Wiegert, the lead public defender, said. “While we are very pleased to see his freedom restored, we remain concerned that he was charged with murder in the first place. Missouri law is clear that a person who unintentionally strikes a third party while attempting to lawfully defend himself or another is immune from criminal liability, and the video of this incident has been on hand since Day 1.”
It was not clear if the other two men charged in connection with Ms. Lopez-Galvan’s killing might receive similar plea deals.
A spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office said she would not be able to answer that at this point.
Three teenagers were also charged in connection with the shooting, which happened as crowds began dispersing from a rally and parade celebrating the Chiefs’ victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, repeating as champions.
The teenagers have not been identified because of their ages. One of them, a 15-year-old, was sentenced in 2024 to an unspecified term at a Missouri youth facility, The Kansas City Star reported. It was not clear what happened in the cases of the other two teenagers.
In 2025, Ms. Lopez-Galvan’s family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Kansas City, Mo., the Kansas City Sports Commission and Union Station, where the shooting occurred.
Last week, her family reached a partial settlement with Union Station, the terms of which were not disclosed.
Neil Vigdor covers breaking news for The Times, with a focus on politics.
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