KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Eleven homicide victims in the Kansas City metro have been under the age of 16 – including a 4 year old and a 3 year old – in 2020 alone.
Just last week, 16-year-old Anthony Strassle was shot and killed in the parking lot of a gas station near the 6800 block of Truman Road.
In June, 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro was shot and killed in his own home while sleeping in a fort made of pillows and covers.
Monday afternoon LeGend's mother, Charron Powell, was on the phone with prosecutors discussing her son’s case when her heart sank after learning another child died the same way. A 22-month-old boy was shot and killed in the 2900 block of East 33rd Street.
"Very upsetting that it continues," Powell said. "It's like, 'Why are we continuing when we know our children are our future, if we continue to keep killing them all, what are we going to have?'"
Monday's shooting is the sixth in which a victim under 16 years old in Kansas City, Missouri, died at the hands of another person.
"How does that make you feel to know that you harmed a child?" Powell said. "Where is your sympathy?"
At the time, her son's callous killing led to overwhelming support. Powell said this grieving family needs the same.
"To go day by day, to take one step at a time," Powell said. "Don't rush into things. Be patient, pray."
KCPD social worker Lindsay Moran, who tends to the families of shooting victims, said that when mothers like Powell stand up for their children, people need to listen.
"Death is not a concept child are meant to understand," Moran said. "And we've got to make decisions that keep kids safe. Part of that as a community is to recognize that we know that there are people in our community who are doing and choosing violence, and to report those things."
Kansas City youth also have been victims of non-life threatening shootings. Three weeks ago – a 4-year-old girl was shot while playing in a Kansas City park and survived. In June, an 11-year-old child was shot while sitting in his home. He also survived.
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For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the 41 Action News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015.
