Witness Says Kansas City Police Shot A Pregnant Woman As She Held Up Her Hands
Kansas City police have fallen under scrutiny after a pregnant woman was shot by officers during an arrest attempt, but a witness says it happened as she tried to surrender.
According to The Kansas City Star, the woman was shot five times as she tried to run from police, who suspected her as a potential accomplice in an armed carjacking. The woman survived and is hospitalized in stable condition.
A 29-year-old witness, who only went by the name “Shédanja,” told the outlet she was at Family Dollar with her three children to buy gasoline and ice cream. Officers were yelling at two people, a man and a woman, who were in the vehicle next to hers. Officers instructed the pair to “get down,” but the woman only exited the vehicle, explaining that she was pregnant and was unable to get onto the ground. The man exited the vehicle and ran.
Shédanja claimed the woman, identified by the Kansas City Defender as Leonna Hale, 26, disclosed that there was a gun in the vehicle as she backed toward a fence in the parking lot as officers had their weapons drawn on her. A weapon was found by the police near the vehicle, the Star reports.
Shédanja said in a May 28 phone interview with the Star, “She did not pull out a weapon on them. She did not even have a stick in her hand.” Shédanja said the woman, who exited the car with her hands raised, ran three steps in the opposite direction of the cops and was shot five times.
She continued, “One, two, three, four, five. I remember it because it didn’t stop. They shot five times. I remember seeing her hit the ground and I froze.”
Shédanja also added she asked police why they shot her but they did not answer. She said her three children are now traumatized from the incident.
Community members have described the shooting as a “horrific, attempted execution.”
The suspect has been named as 26-year-old Leonna Hale, KCTV reports. The male suspect was not harmed from the police stop, but is hospitalized for a separate issue.
“We never want to be in these type of situations. Not the public, as a police department," the Kansas City Police Department’s Interim Police Chief Joseph Mabin said in a statement. "Anytime it happens is a blight on our community. I want to ensure the public the scene is secure. There’s no on-going threat. We’re committed to be 100% transparent. This is a holiday weekend. It’s time for friends. Not a time for violence.”
Missouri State Highway Patrol officials are currently investigating the shooting, according to the Star.
