Mia Bieniemy, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, was shot at the couple’s Virginia home, with authorities identifying their youngest son, Elijah Bieniemy, as a suspect in the case.
Deputies were called Sunday evening to a reported shooting in the 20000 block of Northpark Drive in Ashburn, Virginia.
According to police, Mia Bieniemy was transported to a hospital with “serious injuries.” Officials said she remains in stable condition.
By Monday morning, police had named 27-year-old Elijah Bieniemy as the primary suspect. He has been charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and discharging a firearm inside a dwelling. He is currently being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.
Eric Bieniemy was in Missouri with the Kansas City Chiefs when the shooting occurred, as the team opened training camp with practices at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph.
He has since left camp to be with Mia at the hospital. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid addressed the situation Monday, saying: “Our hearts go out to Eric Bieniemy. Mia is stable. She’s a saint, one of God’s good blessings.”
Mia Bieniemy, wife of Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, remains hospitalized after being shot Sunday at the family’s home in Ashburn, Virginia
Authorities identified Elijah Bieniemy, the couple’s son, as the main suspect and charged him with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and other offenses
Bieniemy was in Missouri with the Chiefs as training camp had recently begun
Reid added that there is no timeline for Bieniemy returning to the team and that Joe Bleymaier has stepped up from his role as pass game coordinator to work as the OC.
Bieniemy and Mia have two sons. Their eldest son, Eric III, is wheelchair bound and has cerebral palsy and respiratory issues.
These medical complications led to the Chiefs coach choosing to isolate from his family throughout the 2021 NFL season to protect his now-30-year-old son from exposure to COVID.
Bieniemy spent multiple years with the Chiefs from 2013 to 2022 as running backs coach and offensive coordinator before departing for different opportunities as he pursued a head coaching gig.
While that job never materialized, he did become the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders under Ron Rivera.
After Rivera was fired at the end of the season, Bieniemy left for the same job at UCLA.
When the Bruins went 5-7, Bieniemy departed once again to be the running backs coach for the Chicago Bears.
In the offseason, he returned to Kansas City to fill the offensive coordinator role that was voided when Matt Nagy’s contract lapsed.
Bieniemy recently returned to the Chiefs after spending three seasons away from the team
Bieniemy’s return was welcomed by the Chiefs’ star tight end, Travis Kelce
Adding Bieniemy back into the fold should provide a boost to a Chiefs offense that struggled in the 2025 season.
But above all, it may have been one of the contributing factors to Travis Kelce’s decision to keep playing football in Kansas City. The tight end has previously sung the praises of the offensive coordinator.
‘I can’t wait to see him back in the building,’ Kelce said at the time Bieniemy’s return was confirmed.
‘He’s one of my favorite coaches of all time. I’ve had so many unbelievable growing moments under him as a player.’
Speaking in late January, when his return to Kansas City became a done deal, Bieniemy said, ‘I feel like a kid in a candy store. I don’t know if you can hear the nervous energy in my voice of just excitement.’
He also underlined his excitement to work again with Kelce and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Bieniemy is hugely respected in the Chiefs locker room and his return was a popular move
‘It’s just the excitement of seeing each other, asking how they’re doing and making sure everything is good moving forward,’ he added. Is the excitement high? Yes. Am I fired up? Yes. Do I respect the hell out of both of those guys? Yes. I’m looking forward to getting back to the grind and chopping wood with them.’
In addition to coaching, Bieniemy was a running back in college and helped Colorado win the 1990 national championship.
He went on to play nine seasons in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles.
The Chiefs are scheduled to start the NFL season on Monday, September 13, against AFC West rivals the Denver Broncos.
