KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Days before Christmas, the Wornall Road Baptist Church held a church service to remember the more than 170 lives lost in a Kansas City homicide so far in 2020 – a record-breaking year.
The service, held on the winter solstice, is called The Longest Night.
Families of homicide victims united to pray and comfort one another in the pews and outdoors, where crosses sit in front of the church, representing each victim.
Rhonda Garcia, who lost her husband Paul Garcia in June, was among those in attendance.
"This is a really hard time around Christmastime, I think about him every day," she said. "I miss that 'I love you,' in the morning, and, 'I love you,' at night. I got that every day."
Those moments now are cherished memories for Rhonda. Her 50-year-old husband was killed when gunfire tore through his house as he slept.
"I just want justice to be done and to stop shooting," Rhonda Garcia said.
It's a plea from many in the grieving crowd.
"I've always prayed that this violence stops in our city. It's hard," Theresa Nunally, mother of Anthony Ford Jr. said.
Ford was shot on May 31 on the 8800 block of Crystal Lane.
"The last words was probably 30 minutes before he passed was 'I love you'," Nunally said. "I just thank God that has allowed me to have the strength to be here."
Their hope in the new year is for fewer families to experience this pain.
"I just never thought I would have to live my life without one of my children," Nunally said.
—
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. Read the 41 Action News Mug Shot Policy.
