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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy talks with head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs prior to the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Arrowhead Stadium on January 21, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Elijah Bienemy, the 27-year-old son of Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy, is being held without bail after being charged with the shooting of his mother, Mia Bienemy, on Sunday night.
Mia Bienemy survived the shooting, but is currently hospitalized and being treated for “serious injuries,” according to Nate Taylor of ESPN.
The horrifying incident is just the latest twist in what has been an extremely difficult five years for Eric Bienemy, who was considered one of the NFL’s top head coaching prospects after winning a pair of Super Bowls with the Chiefs.
Elijah Bieniemy, the 27-year-old son of #Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, has been arrested after allegedly shooting his mother, Mia, multiple times Sunday night at their Virginia home.
Mia was hospitalized with serious injuries. Elijah faces three felony charges and is being held… pic.twitter.com/dRDXFbzwYZ
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 27, 2026
Eric Bienemy Has Had A Long And Difficult Path Back To The Chiefs
After helping Kansas City to victories in Super Bowl 54 and Super Bowl 57, and helping developing Patrick Mahomes into the league’s best quarterback, several in NFL circles were calling for Bienemy to get an opportunity as a head coach in the league.
But Bienemy wasn’t getting the recognition he felt he deserved, so in 2023 he opted to leave Kansas City to take the offensive coordinator job with the Washington Commanders.
Since then, nothing has seemed to work out. Bienemy lasted just one season in Washington before being let go. He then took the same position with the UCLA Bruins and was fired in less than a year.
Bienemy returned to the NFL in 2025 as the running backs coach under Ben Johnson with the Chicago Bears, and when the Chiefs parted ways with Matt Nagy, it opened up the opportunity for him to reunite with Andy Reid in Kansas City.
In the wake of the news regarding his wife and son, Bieniemy left Chiefs’ training camp and was not in attendance for Monday’s practice.
Hopefully, Mia Bienemy is able to make a full recovery, and she and Eric can move forward, both physically and mentally, from this tragic incident.