Chiefs assistant Eric Bieniemy’s
son charged in shooting of his mother in Virginia, authorities say
[July 28, 2026]
By DAVE SKRETTA
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The son of Chiefs assistant coach Eric
Bieniemy has been arrested and charged with the shooting of his
mother, Mia Bieniemy, the wife of the Kansas City offensive
coordinator, authorities in Virginia said Monday.
The Loudon County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded late
Sunday to a shooting in Ashburn, Virginia, where the couple still
had a home from Bieniemy's time coaching the Washington Commanders.
They found the 57-year-old Mia Bieniemy with multiple gunshot
wounds, and she was transported to a hospital where she was in
stable condition Monday.
Elijah Zion Bieniemy, the 27-year-old son of the couple, was
arrested early Monday in connection with the shooting. He has been
charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in commission of a
felony and discharge of a firearm inside a dwelling, and is being
held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.
The sheriff's office said the investigation was ongoing.
Eric Bieniemy was with the Chiefs at training camp in St. Joseph,
Missouri, earlier Sunday. He was not present for Monday's workout
involving rookies, quarterbacks and a few veterans, which was closed
to the public.
“Our hearts go out to Eric Bieniemy and his family. Thoughts and
prayers with them,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said afterward. “I can't
get into details on it, but things happen sometimes, and Eric will
work through it. He has a great support group here, as does his
family, as needed, and we'll just let time take care of it from
there. But Mia is stable, which is a plus.
“She's a saint, we all know that, those of you that know her. One of
God's great blessings,” Reid added. “But things happen. And you have
to work through it. That's where we're at right now. Time will have
to be involved in this to help heal."
Reid did not know how long Bieniemy would be away from the team.
Pass game coordinator Joe Bleymaier and offensive line coach Andy
Heck will take over his duties as the Chiefs continue with offensive
installations during training camp.
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Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy watches
from the sidelines during an NFL football game, Oct. 1, 2023, in
Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
“On these things, real life. So you take care of
that,” Reid said. “We'll be able to keep it moving here, but the
most important thing is EB has an opportunity to spend some time
there are take care of that business."
Eric Bieniemy was part of Reid's initial staff in Kansas City in
2013, and spent five seasons as the running backs coach before he
was promoted to offensive coordinator. Over the next five seasons,
the demanding but popular Bieniemy helped the Chiefs to reach three
Super Bowls and win two of them while directing one of the NFL's
best offenses.
He interviewed for several head-coaching jobs but was continually
skipped over, so Bieniemy went to the Commanders in 2023 in hopes of
burnishing his resume. But the team struggled and coach Ron Rivera's
staff was let go, and Bieniemy spent one season as the offensive
coordinator at UCLA before spending last season as the running backs
coach with the Bears.
Bieniemy returned to the Chiefs this season to replace Matt Nagy as
the offensive coordinator. He was present for offseason workouts in
Kansas City over the summer, and he was with the team when it began
to report to training camp last week.
The Chiefs are off Tuesday. The first full-squad workout at Missouri
Western State University is Wednesday.
“It's great to have (Bieniemy) back in the building,” Reid said last
week. “He always brings great energy. I've told you, he's one of the
more phenomenal guys I have been around at being a leader of men. He
is doing that. He's in there cranking — works his tail off, and I
appreciate that. Doesn't let anything slide by. Does a good job with
that.”
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