Chiefs training camp rocked by Bieniemy family shooting

Training camp is supposed to be the fun part of the NFL calendar. Instead, the Chiefs spent Monday dealing with a nightmare that has nothing to do with football. Eric Bieniemy, Kansas City's offensive coordinator, left camp after his wife Mia was shot Sunday night at the family's home in Virginia, and the person charged in connection with the shooting is their own son.

The details that trickled out over the day were grim. Elijah Zion Bieniemy, 27, was arrested and hit with 3 felony charges: malicious wounding, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, and discharge of a firearm inside a dwelling. He's being held without bond at a detention center in Loudoun County, according to the sheriff's office.

For a program that's been through the wringer in recent years with off-field drama involving players' family members, this one hits different because it's the coordinator himself. Bieniemy has been one of the most respected offensive minds in the league since his run calling plays for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' dynasty years, a stretch that included multiple Super Bowl trips before he left to run his own offense in Washington. He rejoined Kansas City's staff this offseason, and by all accounts was fully locked into training camp before this hit.

There's at least some relief in the middle of the horror: Mia Bieniemy is expected to survive. Reports Monday afternoon confirmed she was in stable condition after being hospitalized with gunshot wounds, which is the one piece of this story that isn't purely devastating.

Schefter's follow-up laid out where things stood football-wise: Eric Bieniemy was with the team Sunday in St. Joseph, Missouri, for the Chiefs' second training camp practice, but was not at Monday's session as the family dealt with the fallout. There's no timetable yet for when — or if — he returns to camp this week, and the Chiefs haven't said much publicly beyond acknowledging he's away from the team.

None of this has anything to do with wins and losses, and it shouldn't. A mother is recovering from being shot and a son is sitting in a Virginia jail cell facing serious felony time. The Chiefs will figure out the OC situation. The Bieniemy family has a much longer road ahead.