A Kansas City woman dies from fatal wounds she suffered as she wrecked into a traffic light pole while trying to avoid a gun shootout between the drivers of two other vehicles.
“The woman killed was thrown from her vehicle because of how violent the impact was,” said Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forte. Debris scattered on the ground after the wreck included the car bumper, a kids soccer ball, and children’s shoes. The traffic light that the women hit was also knocked down.
Six children in the woman’s vehicle were critically injured but all six are expected to survive after being transported to Children’s Mercy Hospital.
The gunfight between the other two vehicles started shortly before 9 p.m. at East 9th Street and Hardesty Avenue in Kansas City.
After the woman’s car was hit and she hit the traffic pole, the driver in one of the cars involved in the shooting drove off. Police officers chased the vehicle well into Kansas City, Kansas and the chase ended 45 minutes later at East 18th Street and Jackson Avenue when police deployed a tire spike strips to stop the suspect. He was immediately taken into custody.
“It hurts my heart. I mean it’s really not safe out here right now,” said Vanisha Welchen, an eyewitness who lives in that area and got to witness the crash.
According to Fox News, Sgt. Kari Thompson with said the incident is the latest example of innocent people becoming victims in senseless violence in Kansas City.
“Mothers are burying their children. Grandmothers are burying their grandchildren. This is not right,” Thompson said. “Every life matters, whether you live south of the river, or north of the river. If you are living in Kansas City, the urban core is your community. Let’s not turn a blind eye to this area. Let’s all come together and find out what we can do to make this stop.”
According to the latest available data from the FBI in 2013, Kansas City ranks as the fourteenth most dangerous city in the country.
Violent crime statistics for Kansas City:
5,864 total violent crimes
99 murders
377 rapes
1,662 robberies
3,726 assaults
According to KSHB 41, Kansas City, Mo., has a rate of 1,268 violent crimes per 100,000 people. The national average is roughly a third of that at 336 violent crimes per 100,000 people.
However, the news is not all bad. Homicide in Kansas City dropped almost 25 percent last year and police are hoping these numbers keep going down.
“Our major crimes in central patrol continue to go down and I think that’s a direct result of hard work of the men and women assigned to central patrol,” said Shawn Wadle, Division Commander for KCPD’s Central Patrol.
Let’s help Kansas City pull together as a community and stop the wrecks, the shootouts and other types of crimes!!
Check out these links to get involved:
KCPD: Community Interaction
KCKPD: Community Development
OPPD: Community Forum
Kansas City Woman With Six Children Has Fatal Wreck As She Tries To Avoid A Gun Shootout is an article from: The Inquisitr News