Pastor says 'promptings of the Holy Spirit' saved him from KC Chiefs parade shooting
A Kansas City-area pastor claims the Holy Spirit prompted him to leave the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade last Wednesday, which might have saved him and his family from being hurt when shots broke out, killing one person and injuring 22 others.
The pastor of River Church Family in Raytown, Missouri, Timmy Hensel said in an interview with CBN News that he and his family attended the rally outside Union Station to celebrate the Chiefs' victory over the San Francisco 49ers that previous Sunday.
"We were sitting there and listening to the rally go on [and were] super excited to be celebrating, feeling just this community, camaraderie, and joy," said Hensel, who is also the Central Southeast Regional pastor for the Foursquare Church.
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The pastor said he and his family began to have a strange feeling inside. Just minutes before bullets were fired, they felt a nudging of the Holy Spirit telling them to leave the event.
"We just get this prompting that it's time to leave, like before our favorite players [were] about to speak," Hensel said.
"I'm like, 'We're here. This doesn't happen very often,'" he continued as he choked up with emotions during the interview.
He said he and his wife, Tisha, encountered the same inner desire urging them to leave. His wife began asking if it was time for the family to leave the event.
"[We] just felt that sense to go and so we started walking back," Hensel said. "And, all of a sudden, in a little bit, we're getting texts, 'Are you OK?'"
Hensel said he later looked at aerial shots and saw blood on the ground where had been standing. He said he is grateful for the "promptings of the Holy Spirit" and his ability to "recognize [God's] voice and tone."
"It's not just Sunday," Hensel said. "It's every moment. ... He is speaking all the time and [we need] to train ourselves to know the tone of the Shepherd's voice, to know that He is speaking, He is guiding, and I'm really grateful for that."
"I would encourage others to practice listening. We do a lot of talking. We do a lot of praying, which is good, but listening is just as important, because He has something to say," he continued.
Since that day, Hensel said he not only thanks God for keeping him and his family safe, but he has also pleaded with God on behalf of others who were victims of the incident and others who may experience trauma.
"We were there for a joint celebration, and my city is hurting right now," he said. "They're scared and angry, and [asking], 'Why do things like this keep happening?"
On Tuesday, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said that two male adults, Dominic Miller and Lyndell Mays, have been charged in connection with the shooting, which resulted in the death of local radio host Lisa Lopez-Galvan. The prosecutor said Lopez-Galvan was struck by a bullet from Miller's gun.
During a news conference Tuesday, Baker said Mays got into a "verbal argument" with someone he had not previously known. When Mays pulled out his weapon, investigators said others pulled out their firearms, including Miller. Both men sustained injuries in the shooting.
Two juveniles were also taken into custody for gun charges.
Nicole Alcindor is a reporter for The Christian Post.
