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Abigail Arellano keeps her son Samuels medical bills in a blue folder in a cabinet above the microwave. Even now, four months after the 11-year-old was shot at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade, the bills keep coming.

This story also ran on KCUR. It can be republished for free.

Theres one for $1,040 for the ambulance ride to the hospital that February afternoon. Another for $2,841.17 from an emergency room visit they made three days after the shooting because his bullet wound looked infected. More follow-ups and counseling in March added another $1,500.

I think Im missing some, Arellano said as she leafed through the pages.

The Arellanos are uninsured and counting on assistance from the fund that raised nearly $2 million in the aftermath of the shooting that left one dead and at least 24 other people with bullet wounds. She keeps that application in the blue folder as well.

The medical costs incurred by the survivors of the shooting are hitting hard, and they wont end soon. The average medical spending for someone who is shot increases by nearly $30,000 in the first year, according to a Harvard Medical School study. Another study found that number goes up to $35,000 for children. Ten kids were shot at the parade.

Then there are lifes ordinary bills rent, utilities, car repairs that dont stop just because someone survived a mass shooting, even if their injuries prevent them from working or sending kids to school. Samuel Arellano (center) stands with his parents, Abigail and Antonio, outside their home in Kansas City, Kansas. The family was uninsured when Samuel was shot at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade in February. The family is counting on assistance from the fund that raised nearly $2 million in the aftermath of the shooting that left one dead and at least 24 other people with bullet wounds.(Bram Sable-Smith/KFF Health News) Abigail Arellano keeps the stack of medical bills amassed since her son, Samuel, 11, was shot in a blue folder in a cabinet above the microwave in the familys kitchen. (Peggy Lowe/KCUR 89.3) Samuel Arellano (center) lifts his shirt with help from his mother, Abigail Arellano (left), and aunt Eunice Salas (right), to reveal where he was shot at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade in February. (Bram Sable-Smith/KFF Health News)

The financial burden that comes with surviving is so common it has a name, according to Aswad Thomas of the nonprofit Alliance for Safety and Justice: victimization debt. Some pay it out-of-pocket. Some open a new credit card. Some find help from generous strangers. Others cant make ends meet.

We’re really broke right now, said Jacob Gooch Sr., another survivor, who was shot through the foot and has not yet been able to return to work.

We’re, like, exhausting our third credit card.

As is common after mass shootings, a mosaic of new and established resources emerged in this Missouri city promising help. Those include the #KCStrong fund established by the United Way of Greater Kansas City, which is expected to begin paying victims at the end of June.

Survivors must navigate each opportunity to request help as best they can and hope money comes through.

GoFundMes, Generous Strangers, and a New Line of Credit

Mostly, its the moms who keep the bills organized. Tucked above the microwave. Zipped inside a purse. Screenshots stored on a phone. And then theres a maze of paperwork: The Missouri state victims compensation form is five pages, including instructions. Its another six pages for help from the United Way.

Emily Tavis keeps stacks of paperwork with color-coded binder clips in her basement: Black for her partner, Gooch Sr.; blue for her stepson, Jacob Gooch Jr.; pink for herself. All three were shot at the parade. Jacob Gooch Sr. and Emily Tavis received an outpouring of emotional and financial support in the days after they were both shot at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade. Goochs son was also shot. By June, however, the couple had opened a new credit card to help cover their bills.(Christopher Smith for KFF Health News)

Tavis was able to walk after a bullet ripped through her leg, and she considered declining the ambulance ride because she was worried about the cost she lacked insurance at the time.

Gooch Sr. was unable to walk because hed been shot in the foot. So they shared an ambulance to the hospital with two of their kids.

“Im not paying for this s—. I didnt ask for this life, Tavis, laughing, recalled thinking at the time. They soon realized 14-year-old Gooch Jr. had a bullet in his foot as well.

Tavis and Gooch Sr. received separate $1,145 bills for the ambulance. Gooch Jr. did not, possibly because he has health coverage through Medicaid, Tavis said.

She sends the medical bills to victims compensation, a program to help with the economic losses from a crime, such as medical expenses and lost wages. Even though Tavis and Gooch live in Leavenworth, Kansas, their compensation comes from the program in Missouri, where the shooting occurred.

The program pays only for economic losses not covered by other sources like health insurance, donations, and crowdsourced fundraisers. Gooch Sr. and Jr. both had health insurance at the time of the parade, so the family has been sending only the uncovered portion to victims compensation. Email Sign-Up

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The family initially received a lot of support. Friends and relatives made sure they had food to eat. The founder of an online group of Kansas City Chiefs fans sent $1,000 and gifts for the family. A GoFundMe page raised $9,500. And their tax refund helped.

They knew money might get tight with Gooch Sr. unable to work, so they paid three months rent in advance. They also paid to have his Ford Escape fixed so he could eventually return to work and bought Tavis a used Honda Accord so she could drive to the job she started 12 days after the parade.

And because the donations were intended for the whole family, they decided to buy summer passes to the Worlds of Fun amusement park for the kids.

But recently, theyve felt stretched. Gooch Sr.s short-term disability payments abruptly stopped in May when his health insurance prompted him to see an in-network doctor. He said the short-term disability plan initially didnt approve the paperwork from his new doctor and started an investigation. The issue was resolved in June and he was expecting back pay soon. In the interim, though, the couple opened a new credit card to cover their bills.

In the interim, the couple opened a new credit card to cover their bills. Emily Tavis considered declining an ambulance ride after being shot in the leg at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade because she was worried about cost. She started a new job 12 days after the parade, but even now that she has health insurance through work, she is attuned to the costs of seeking care. (Christopher Smith for KFF Health News) Emily Tavis was shot in the leg at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade. (Christopher Smith for KFF Health News) Jacob Gooch Sr. shows the trajectory of the bullet that shot through his foot at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade. (Bram Sable-Smith/KFF Health News) Unable to work after being shot at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade in February, Jacob Gooch Sr. initially received short-term disability payments. But that assistance abruptly stopped in May when he started seeing a new doctor who was in network with his health insurance. The issue was resolved in June and he was expecting back pay soon.(Christopher Smith for KFF Health News)

We’ve definitely been robbing Peter to pay Paul, Tavis said.

Ideally, the money that eventually comes from the United Way, victimscompensation, and, they hope, back pay from short-term disability will be enough to pay off their debts.

But, Tavis said, You gotta do what you gotta do. Were not going to go without lights.

United Way Payout Expected at End of June

With every mass shooting, donations for survivors inevitably flow in, just like peanut butter goes with jelly, because people want to help, said Jeff Dion, executive director of the Mass Violence Survivors Fund, a nonprofit that has helped many communities manage such funds.

Typically, he said, it takes about five months to disburse the money from these large community funds. Victims can potentially get money sooner if their community has a plan in place for these types of funds before a mass shooting. Funds may also advance money to people with urgent financial needs who are certain to qualify.

The United Way hung banners in the Chiefs colors on Kansas Citys Union Station with its #KCStrong campaign within days of the shootings. Driven by large donations from the team, the NFL, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, other individuals, and local companies, it ultimately raised more than $1.8 million.

The promise of a large payout has kept the injured hopeful, even as many felt confused by the process. Some people interviewed for this story did not wish to say anything negative, fearing it would hurt their allocation. Visitors at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, on Feb. 19 look at the memorial set up following the shooting at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration.(Carlos Moreno/KCUR 89.3)

United Way officials announced in April that donations would be closed at the end of that month. On May 1, the organization posted a notice saying it would issue claimant forms and that the Jackson County Prosecutors Office was helping verify shooting victims. The United Way affiliates board of trustees plans to meet June 26 to determine allocations, with payments arriving as early as June 27. The Injured They Were Injured at the Super Bowl Parade. A Month Later, They Feel Forgotten.

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Kera Mashek, a spokesperson for United Way of Greater Kansas City, said payouts will be made to 20 of the 24 shooting survivors. The other four either couldnt be verified as victims or turned down the funds, she said. Claimants do not include the 67 people prosecutors say were trampled in the melee, she said.

Pending board approval, money will also be disbursed to 14 community groups that support nonviolence initiatives, mental health concerns, and first responders, Mashek said.

To criticism that the United Way didnt communicate well with the victims, Mashek said it tried to respond in a timely manner.

We’ve tried to keep that line of communication open as fast as possible and most people have been very patient, she said. I think that they will be very grateful and very, I believe, pleasantly surprised with the amount of funding that they receive.

Other Resources Available

Abigail Arellano hadnt heard of victims’ compensation, which is common. A 2022 survey from the Alliance for Safety and Justice found that 96% of victims did not receive that support and many didnt know it existed.

Arellano and her husband, Antonio, didnt attend the parade but theyve had medical expenses as well. Antonio has been going to therapy at a local health center to help with the stressful task of guiding his son through the trauma. Its been helpful. But hes been paying around $125 out-of-pocket for each session, he said, and the bills are mounting. The injured Three People Shot at Super Bowl Parade Grapple With Bullets Left in Their Bodies

Despite the rise of gun violence in America, few medical guidelines exist on removing bullets from survivors bodies. In the second installment of our series The Injured, we meet three people shot at the Kansas City Super Bowl parade who are dealing with the bullets inside them in different ways. Read More

One of Samuels sisters set up a GoFundMe that raised $12,500, and Abigail said it helped that the family shared their story publicly and that Abigail reached out to help others in the Latino community affected by the shooting.

It was Abigail, for instance, who connected 71-year-old Sarai Holguin with the Mexican Consulate in Kansas City. The consulate, in turn, helped Holguin register as an official victim of the shooting, which will enable her to receive assistance from the United Way. Holguins bills now include a fourth surgery, to remove the bullet lodged near her knee that she had previously made peace with living with forever until it began protruding through her skin.

Generous and Quick Relief to Victims

Several survivors were relieved and grateful to receive funds from a less high-profile, nondenominational group called The Church Loves Kansas City.

The day after the shooting, Gary Kendall, who ran a Christian nonprofit called Love KC, started a text chain at 6 a.m. with city leaders and faith-based groups, and eventually received pledges of $184,500. (Love KC has now merged with another nonprofit, Unite KC, which is disbursing its funds.)

The first payout went to the family of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, the 43-year-old mother of two and popular DJ who was the sole fatality during the parade shootings. Unite KC spent $15,000 on her burial expenses.

Unite KC spent $2,800 so James and Brandie Lemons could get their health insurance restored because James couldnt work. Unite KC also paid $2,200 for the out-of-pocket surgical costs when James decided to get the bullet removed from his leg.

I appreciate it, an emotional James Lemons said. They dont have to do that, to open their hearts for no reason. James Lemons, who was shot in the right thigh, on June 7, the day he had his stitches taken out after surgery to remove the bullet lodged in his leg. Lemons family was helped by Unite KC with insurance payments to tide them over until Lemons returns to work.(Peggy Lowe/KCUR 89.3)

Erika Nelson was struggling to pay for household expenses and had to take time off from her home health care job to take her injured daughter, 15-year-old Mireya, to doctor appointments. Mireya was shot in the chin and shoulder and is recovering.

A GoFundMe page set up by Nelsons best friend raised about $11,000, but it was frozen after Nelson tried to get into the account and GoFundMe thought it was being hacked. She feared the lights would be shut off in their apartment, because of unpaid electric bills, and was feeling desperate.

I’m struggling with, like, you know, groceries, Nelson said. People were like, Oh, go to food pantries. Well, the food pantries are not open the times I can get off. I can’t just take off work to go to a food pantry.

After meeting with Gary Kendall, Nelson received three months of rent and utility payments, about $3,500. Tell Us About Your Experience

We are continuing to report on the effects of the parade shooting on the people who were injured and the community as a whole.

Do you have an experience you want to tell us about, or a question you think we should look into?

Message KCUR’s text line at (816) 601-4777. Your information will not be used in an article without your permission.

A weight off my shoulder. I mean, yeah. In a big way, she whispered. Cause you never know. You never know what can happen in two days, five days, two weeks, two months.

Samuel Arellanos family recently connected with Unite KC, which will pay for his ambulance bill, one of the hospital bills, and some therapy, worth about $6,000. The bill for the initial emergency room trip was about $20,000, his parents said, but the hospital had been reluctant to send it and ultimately covered the cost.

And Unite KC also intends to pay of a $1,300 credit card bill for Emily Tavis and Jacob Gooch Sr.

Unite KC has disbursed $40,000 so far and hopes to connect with more of the injured families, hoping to be as generous and quick as we can, Kendall said. United Way will be like a lightning bolt for victims relief, Kendall said, but his group is aiming for something different, more like a campfire that burns for the next year.

We agree this is a horrific thing that happened. Its a sad state of humanity but its a real part, he said. So we want to remind them that God has not forgotten you. And that although he allowed this, he has not abandoned them. We believe we can be like an extension of his love to these people.

Bram Sable-Smith: brams@kff.org, @besables Related Topics Health Care Costs Insurance Public Health States Emergency Medicine Guns Investigation Kansas Missouri Out-Of-Pocket Costs The Injured Contact Us Submit a Story Tip

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PM urged to take three key steps ahead of emergency cabinet meeting on Gaza

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PM urged to take three key steps ahead of emergency cabinet meeting on Gaza

British Palestinians have called on Sir Keir Starmer to take “immediate, concrete” steps on Gaza instead of “focusing on a symbolic gesture” of recognising it as a state ahead of an emergency cabinet meeting.

The prime minister has recalled his cabinet ministers from parliamentary recess for a meeting at 2pm, when they will discuss what the UK’s next steps should be, after Sir Keir held meetings with Donald Trump yesterday.

Ahead of the cabinet meeting, the British Palestinian Committee (BPC), which represents the experiences of Palestinians in the UK, has sent Sir Keir a letter urging him to take actions they say could make a real difference to people in Gaza.

Gaza latest: ‘Worse-case scenario of famine’ unfolding

The war has now been going on for 21 months after it was sparked by Hamas militants killing 1,200 Israelis and taking 250 hostages on 7 October 2023. The militant group still holds 50 hostages, of whom only 20 are believed to be alive.

The BPC said recognising Palestine as a state is now “symbolic” as it “will not end the genocide and must not be used to deflect from accountability”.

Sir Keir has been under pressure from his own MPs and other UK political parties, notably since France said it will recognise Palestine as a state, but has so far resisted – saying recognition needs to be part of a wider peace plan.

He has so far refused to say whether “genocide” is taking place in Gaza – a claim Israel has vehemently denied.

Israel has paused fighting in three areas for another 10 hours today to help aid distribution, the third day it has done so amid mounting international condemnation of the scenes of hunger unfolding in Gaza.

David Mencer, a spokesperson for the Israeli government, said: “There is no intent, (which is) key for the charge of genocide… it simply doesn’t make sense for a country to send in 1.9 million tonnes of aid, most of that being food, if there is an intent of genocide.”

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Sky News on board Gaza aid plane

The BPC, an independent group, said the government has “not only a political and moral obligation, but a legal obligation” to take three steps.

They are:

• Preventing and punishing Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza and to end “all complicity in it”

• Apply “immediate and comprehensive sanctions on Israel”

• Safeguard the rights to freedom of expression and assembly in the UK

More specifically, the group has called on Sir Keir to end “all forms of military collaboration, urgently review all public contracts to ensure they are not aiding unlawful occupation or genocidal acts, and support universal jurisdiction mandates”.

Read more:
25% of young children and pregnant women malnourished in Gaza
The view from a plane dropping aid into Gaza

Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khamis Al-Rifi
Image:
The BPC said the UK could take immediate steps to help starving Gazans. Pic: Reuters

The group said these steps would help towards ending the starvation crisis in Gaza, which it said had been made possible “due to the impunity granted to” Israel and “compounded by the active military, economic and diplomatic support from states such as the UK”.

The group also accused the UK government of introducing “draconian legislation to limit the rights” of British citizens campaigning to end the atrocities “and British complicity in those atrocities” – in reference to Palestine Action being designated as a terrorist organisation.

‘Immediate steps’ Britain can take

Dr Sara Husseini, director of the BPC, said: “We wrote to the prime minister to remind the UK cabinet of their legal obligations towards the Palestinian people.”

She said there are a “number of immediate steps” the British government “can and should be taking”, as outlined in the letter.

Dr Husseini said 147 countries have already recognised Palestine as a state, and instead of “focusing on a symbolic gesture” it is essential the UK severs diplomatic ties with Israel, institutes a full arms embargo, applies comprehensive sanctions and cuts trade.

“Anything short of this amounts to complicity,” she added.

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Has Trump broken from Netanyahu over Gaza?

Ahead of the cabinet meeting, senior minister Peter Kyle told Sky News the PM had decided to call an emergency meeting “to discuss all of the actions that Britain can and should be taking at a time like this”.

He said recognising Palestine as a state is a manifesto commitment but the “real priority” right now is to try to get aid into Gaza.

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How Corbyn’s new party is preparing for battle – and where insiders think they could win

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How Corbyn's new party is preparing for battle - and where insiders think they could win

Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s new party will offer “unapologetically socialist” policies, with the pair to embark on a nationwide tour to listen to ideas, Sky News understands.

The former Labour MPs are aiming to hold the party’s first conference in the autumn to help decide what it stands for and models of leadership.

Farage condemns ‘disgusting’ Savile remark – politics live

Ms Sultana told Sky News its policies will include “democratic public ownership of key industries, universal free childcare, rent controls, free public transport and much more”.

Mr Corbyn, the ex-Labour leader, added there is “huge appetite for the policies that are needed to fix society”, including “wealth redistribution, housing justice, and a foreign policy based on peace and human rights”.

The autumn conference will be for paid members rather than those who have simply signed up to the party’s website.

How to translate signups into membership, and exactly how members will have their say on policies, will be discussed as part of a “founding process” over the next few months.

This will involve local engagement with communities up and down the country, including rallies and meetings fronted by Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana, as well as “other public figures”, a source close to the party told Sky News.

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Corbyn’s new party shakes the left

Election goals

While there are many details to be fleshed out, including the name, the pair’s “primary aim” is to make gains at the local elections next May, it is understood.

Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana announced their new venture last Thursday, and claim more than half a million people have signed up, but “Your Party” is only an interim name. Members will decide the official one in due course.

Insiders have claimed they are attracting support from a wide geographical area, the strongest bases being in London, the North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber.

It remains to be seen whether those who have expressed an interest will go on to join the party.

However, there is a risk it could eat into Labour’s vote share by attracting those on the left unhappy with the direction of the Starmer government, particularly on issues like Gaza and welfare.

Read more:
PM’s warfare vs welfare dilemma
‘Worst-case’ famine warning in Gaza

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Corbyn open to ideas on new party name

Mr Corbyn led the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020 before being suspended following a row over a report into antisemitism. He retained his seat in Islington North after standing in last year’s general election as an independent.

Ms Sultana was suspended as a Labour MP last year after rebelling against the government over the two-child benefit cap, and announced she was quitting the party to launch a new one with Mr Corbyn earlier this month.

Polling by More in Common before the new outfit was officially announced suggested it could take 10% of the vote at a general election, mainly from Labour and the Greens.

This has raised the prospect of Mr Corbyn striking a deal with the Greens, where both sides would agree to stand down in seats where the other has a stronger chance of winning

Could Farage benefit?

The Islington North MP has suggested he is open to collaboration with progressive parties, but it is understood that electoral strategy will be informed by conference. It is also not clear if the Greens would agree to any such pact.

Some MPs are worried the split in the left vote could make it easier for Nigel Farage, already ahead in the polls, to enter Downing Street.

Patrick Hurley, the Labour MP for Southport, told Sky News: “The thing I’m worried about with regard to the unnamed but already chaotic Corbyn Party is that they let Reform through the middle by taking votes off a progressive centre left party like Labour.

“They won’t be a threat electorally, but they may well let the radical right wing into power by splitting the vote.”

However, Labour was dismissive of the threat the party posed, with a source saying: “The electorate has twice given its verdict on a Jeremy Corbyn-led party.”

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Manhunt after couple hiking with their children killed in Arkansas park

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Manhunt after couple hiking with their children killed in Arkansas park

A manhunt is under way after a married couple were killed while hiking with their children in an Arkansas state park.

Clinton Brink, 43, and Cristen Brink, 41, were walking with their daughters, who are aged seven and nine, when they were attacked in Devil’s Den State Park on Saturday afternoon, according to Arkansas State Police.

Officers were called to reports of two people dead in the park at around 2.40pm, before their bodies were found on a walking trail.

Arkansas’s state lab are working to determine their cause of death, officials said.

Their children were not injured and are safe with relatives, authorities added.

A statement from the Brink family said the couple “died heroes, protecting their little girls”.

“They deserve justice. They will forever live in all our hearts,” the family added, asking for privacy as they “grieve and learn to navigate this new reality”.

The couple had only moved to Arkansas three weeks ago, having previously lived in California and eastern Montana, Mr Brink’s sister Karina Hutchins said.

Officials have not said how the couple were killed and have not provided a possible motive for the attack.

The suspect has been described as white, of medium build, and was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, a dark baseball cap, and sunglasses.

He was also carrying a black backpack and wearing fingerless gloves.

Police said he could have sustained injuries during the attack and exited the park in a black, four-door car, possibly a Mazda, with the number plate covered with duct tape.

He is then believed to have travelled on State Highway 170 or State Highway 220 to escape.

Read more from Sky News
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Police have urged anyone who was in or near the park that day with smartphone or GoPro footage to come forward.

The park has been closed until further notice.

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