THE POLICE PROBLEM

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Authorities have released the identity of a woman and her infant who were killed last week during an incident that led up to a shooting involving Independence, Missouri police.

Blue Springs Police Department Capt. Kyle Flowers confirmed Maria Pike, 34, and Destinii Hope, 2 months, were both killed in the incident at Oval Spring Apartments.

Flowers is heading up the eastern Jackson County Police Incident Investigation Team (PIIT), which is investigating the incident that involved multiple Independence police officers.

Flowers also provided an update on the investigation Tuesday, saying the PIIT has now reviewed the footage from body-worn cameras that captured the incident, and investigators will be interviewing people involved in the incident again Tuesday.

The goal, currently, is to turn over information on the investigation to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office next week. However, there is no specific deadline for the case.

Independence Police Chief Adam Dustman said Friday the officer who opened fire followed training because Pike had a knife.

Several people have said they saw an Independence police officer running with the injured Destinii in his arms to his police cruiser to take her to the hospital because he didn’t want to wait for an ambulance.

Assistant Property Manager Gavin Delaney helped the two police officers get inside the apartment.

After he was told to leave the apartment, Delaney heard gunshots and then saw the officer with the baby.

He’s already spoken to a counselor.

"It's obviously very tragic and traumatic and everybody has their different ways of processing. But, you know, my intention is not to make it seem like I'm the only person that was involved in this. I want to be able to push the resources to the family or to the people who really need them," Delaney said.

To that end, Property Manager Carrie Lufkin reached out to nearby Comprehensive Mental Health Services to provide free counseling at the Oval Spring clubhouse Monday and Tuesday.

"It was a horrific, tragic event that ended awful. And I want to do everything that I can do to help our community move forward," Lufkin said.

"Our staff are available to check in with everyone, see how they're doing, help, talk them through whatever they experienced, whatever they're feeling now," said Julie Pratt, Kansas City Region president, Comprehensive Mental Health Services. "I know we try to talk to people about trying to keep a normal routine.

Keep your daily day-to-day routine as you normally would. Pay attention to your sleeping patterns, your eating patterns. But just trying to be available for the community here in this apartment complex," she said.

Destinii’s grandparents, Brian and Talisa Coombs, said Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker called them and told them she’d pay for their counseling if they want it.

They also said Baker told them her office is conducting its own investigation.

Destinii's aunt, Felisha Holder, has put together a GoFundMe page with a goal of $7,000 for the infant’s funeral.

There are also plans for a candlelight vigil outside the apartment building where the incident took place, scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m.

A purple and white balloon release will be held as part of the vigil.

In this case I think you'd lose money on that bet.


From this article. https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article295483354.html

The dad looks Hispanic to me, but it's hard to tell. Mom looks white.