KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A longtime friend of the family of a child murdered on Friday and that child's mother, wounded by gunfire, released a statement Sunday on the deadly Northland crime spree.
"The family appreciates everyone for their prayers and support during this time. We want to give our sympathy to the other victim and their family. As of right now, we are still all in shock and taking it day by day and Mercedes is recovering from her injuries. The family is doing the best as expected with the love and support from everyone. We have started a GoFundMeto help with future expenses. All funeral costs for her son Giuliani have been taken care of. All funds raised will go directly to her and her daughters during this difficult time. Thank you again to everyone."
Katie Marron, a family friend of more than 20 years, sent the statement to KSHB 41 and spoke with News Reporter Ryan Gamboa on the phone.
Officers shot and killed George C. Manning, the suspect who shot and killed a woman in a Riverside car wash and shot and killed 12-year-old Giuliani Calderon in his Riverside home.
Manning also shot and wounded Mercedes Ontiveros, the mother of Giuliani Calderon.
According to Marron, Ontiveros is recovering well in the hospital. With family by her side, she is awake and eating.
She also told KSHB 41, family members are not ready to speak about Friday's incident.
An Amber Alert was issued Friday morning after Manning took his five-year-old daughter from her Riverside, Mo., home.
Manning dropped the child off with family members before returning to Riverside and the deadly confrontation with police.
According to Marron, this isn't the first instance of gun violence impacting the Ontiveros family.
On Oct. 6, 2019, four men were killed and five others were injured after two gunman opened fire at a Kansas City, Kansas, bar.
One of the four killed, Alfredo Calderon, 29, Ontiveros' partner and father of Giuliani and Anayeli's father.
KSHB 41 extensively covered the 2019 shooting and spoke with Moises Villegas, who identified Calderon as his cousin, one of the victims who died in the shooting.
"My friend called me and said, ‘Alfredo is one of the guys who was at the bar and got shot,’” Villegas told KSHB 41 in 2019. “When I heard his name, I just didn’t believe it. It felt like a ton of bricks just falling on my head.”
The family describes Giuliani as more than a son, Mercedes' firstborn, and a light in all their lives.
The investigation into Manning's Friday crime spree is ongoing.
The name of the woman killed in the car wash has not been released.
—
If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
