Star of Hallmark Christmas movie 'ran out of harm's way' after shooting at Chiefs rally

Earlier this year, Tyler Hynes told his fans that he would be spending Valentine's Day in Kansas City to help the Chiefs win their second consecutive Super Bowl.

“Will you be mine? @chiefs see you at the parade. Happy Valentine's Day,” the Hallmark Channel star wrote on Instagram the day before the rally.

He added: “What a great way to spend Valentine's Day.”

Fans who had been excited to hear he would be in Kansas City were later horrified by what happened at the rally and feared for Hynes' safety.

In a mass shooting at Union Station at the end of the celebration, 43-year-old Chiefs fan Lisa Lopez-Galvan and 22 others died injured by gunshotsHalf of them were younger than 16 years old, others were injured during the mass escape of the crowd.

Hynes returned to Union Station that evening and shot a powerful video about the aftermath of the violence, which he shared with his fans in an emotional tribute to Kansas City.

Hynes had the privilege of appearing in a trailer for a mock Hallmark Christmas movie that the Chiefs released in January before the AFC Wild Card game.

Hynes portrayed a Chiefs superfan and his football-hating lover, Janel Parrish (“Never Been Chris'd”), co-star on the Hallmark Channel.

Through the project, Hynes, who was born in Canada and grew up in downtown Toronto, became an honorary member of Chiefs Kingdom, a role he has enjoyed ever since.

Sitting at Patrick Mahomes' locker at Arrowhead Stadium's GEHA Field, he held up a Chiefs jersey with the word “Hynes” written on it. He proudly posted the photo on his Instagram, where it was liked by more than 14,000 users, including many Chiefs fans.

“Red looks great on you,” commented one.

Another added him to the “3 T” club: Tyler, Travis and Taylor.

Hynes is back in Kansas City this month – his fourth trip here since last summer – thanks once again to the Chiefs.

This time, he's making a real Hallmark Christmas movie about the Chiefs. “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” stars Hynes and another Hallmark Channel favorite, former “The Young and the Restless” actress Hunter King. Emmy winner Ed Begley Jr. (“Better Call Saul,” “Young Sheldon”) also stars.

Filming takes place in Independence and Arrowhead.

“Remember that thing I did with the Kansas City Chiefs that looked like a movie but wasn't a movie… well… now it is a movie. ;),” Hynes wrote on Instagram last month.

“Congratulations to everyone at @hallmarkchannel & @chiefs @nfl for accomplishing something no one has ever accomplished,” he said later in the post.

“And to all of you who are about to embark on the journey to make this film, let's go to Kansas City, home of two organizations united by a spirit rarely seen.”

“We are out of the danger zone”

When news broke of the shooting at the Chiefs rally, fans of Hynes and Parrish who knew they were there scoured social media for details.

Were they safe?

Later that afternoon, Parrish tweeted: “I love you Kansas City. I am here with you. I cry for you.”

According to New York sports news website Heavy, she posted an Instagram story two days later with some details about the incident.

She shared a photo of herself at the rally with Hynes and Chiefs staffer Atipa Mabonga, all in Chiefs gear. “Love you both,” she wrote to them.

“These two wonderful people were with me and gave me strength as we ran out of danger,” Parrish wrote.

She added: “Our beloved Hallmark team was there too and I am so glad they are all safe.”

She wrote that she had not yet found the right words to describe it. “All I can say is: I love you, Kansas City, and I mourn the beautiful lives that were lost and those who were injured. I love you all.”

“I am so grateful that we made it through, but I am sad that this senseless act of violence took place. I send all my love to everyone affected by this tragedy.

“I'm sorry this happened… we need to do better.”

Meeting with Hallmark employees

Hynes' first taste of Kansas City hospitality came last summer when he and about 20 well-known Hallmark Channel stars visited the company's headquarters. They spent a day with employees and Don Hall Jr., the chairman of Hallmark Cards, who gave them a tour.

People magazine reported that more than 300 cheering Hallmark employees greeted the actors with signs and pom-poms.

Hynes joined Lacey Chabert, Alicia Witt, Autumn Reeser, Erin Cahill, Nikki DeLoach, Ashley Williams and his co-stars from the network's popular series Three Wise Men and One More Baby – Andrew Walker and Paul Campbell – for which they recently filmed a sequel.

The Three Wise Men performed their viral dance from the film for the employees.

“From Don Hall Jr. to Wonya Lucas to every collaborator, artist and human I met on this trip, there was a quiet focus and humility that seemed to permeate from the top down and then spill back up from the bottom,” Hynes wrote on Instagram last June.

He went on to thank “every person who makes up the fabric of what we call our trademark, which for so many seems to be a place of refuge and at the same time a celebration of life and togetherness that is so desperately needed in these days.”

'Are you safe?'

On Super Bowl Sunday, Hynes got in the spirit by dressing up a Chiefs jersey for his lovable and ever-present sidekick Rusty James. The fluffy black Pomeranian, named after the main character in Francis Ford Coppola's film Rumble Fish, has his own Instagram fan page.

In the lead-up to the parade, fans were excited that Hynes wanted to help the Chiefs celebrate, leaving this and other messages on his Instagram:

“Shut the front door! My favorite Hallmark star is in KC for the parade?!”

“Love this! Have fun celebrating with the #chiefskingdom.”

“I love that you’re a Chiefs fan!!”

“Can you lift me onto your cart? I'll wear the t-shirt with your face on it.”

After the shooting, his desperate fans, who had not heard from him, gave vent to their worry and fear on Instagram.

“Are you okay, Tyler?”

“Hope you’re well and out of danger @tyler_hynes!”

“Are you safe? I hope you were away when all this happened. A horrible end to a happy celebration.”

According to Heavy, Hynes posted a white heart emoji against a black background on his Instagram stories the night of the shooting, but otherwise remained silent for hours.

An Instagram fan account called “Hynies Headquarters” was the first to publicly report that he was safe, apparently after receiving the news from his friend and co-star Andrew Walker.

On February 18, four days after the rally, Hynes posted a poignant video and message on Instagram.

“There are no words to adequately describe the events and experiences of the Super Bowl parade,” he wrote. “The words that come to mind right now are for the incredible people of Kansas City.”

“I wish we could have finished this perfect day, but that doesn't change what we shared before we parted.

“My thoughts are with everyone affected by this unfortunate event. A world without such a thing would be beautiful.”

“More important than my concrete experience is the realization of the beauty of this city and its people.

“Every single person I was with that day and met is as lovely as can be. And every single person I was with in the moments we see on the news, I couldn't be more proud of.”

A few days ago, Hynes showed his Instagram followers that he and Rusty James were on a flight to Kansas City.

And the fans had a message for him: Welcome back.