A 6-year-old girl
was killed during a drive-by shooting while
shopping for bubblegum with her father at a
convenience store in Kansas City, according to
police, who are vowing to find those responsible
for her death.
Hundreds of people turned out Sunday evening
for a vigil to remember Angel Hooper, who died
two nights earlier after being shot at the south
in the south part of the city, The Kansas City
Star reported (http://bit.ly/1ptpyAe ). Angel
and her father had stopped for gum after a jog
when someone in a passing car opened fire.
"Angel has all the power of the Kansas City
Police Department behind her," said Maj. Karl
Oakman, adding that investigators wouldn't
rest until her killers are found. "Wherever you
are, we will find you."
The girl was at the store with her father and a
friend when she was shot in the head Friday
evening, and she died at a nearby hospital,
according to a police report. Police Capt. Tye
Grant told the newspaper that shots were fired
from a passing vehicle, and police were working
over the weekend on some leads and planned to
check the store's surveillance tapes.
"Criminals are no longer just killing each other
— they are killing our children. This nonsense
must end," Mayor Sly James said in a statement
Saturday.
Several speakers at Sunday's rally also
criticized violence in the community. They also
praised Angel as a positive, smart child who
enjoyed singing at church and helping others.
Her first-grade teacher, Kimberly Walter, said
Angel was "a little walking genius" who had
qualified for a gifted and talented program.
Angel's 11-year-old cousin was injured in a
drive-by shooting, and in a similar shooting at
age 9.
Angel's mother, Charity Guinn, said she was
thankful for the support her family has
received.
"It helps a lot to know that people care," she
said.
The store has been the site of other shootings in
recent years, including in June when a shootout
occurred in the store parking lot. Bullets hit the
store but no one was injured.
No comments:
Post a Comment