KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson will not file charges against the officer involved in the death of an Independence woman and her child.
Maria Pike died in her boyfriend’s bedroom while holding 2-month-old Destinii.
An Independence Police officer shot them after Pike lunged at the officer with a large knife.
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“We did not arrive at this decision lightly. The loss of a young mother and her infant are devastating and tragic,” Johnson said. “However, as prosecutors, we are bound by an oath to apply the law and analyze facts without being guided by the sympathy we feel for all those impacted. Our purpose is to determine if what was done was reasonable, defined by Missouri law, and not whether it was the best course of action.”
The prosecutor's office said that under Missouri law an officer is allowed to use deadly force when:
- The officer reasonably believes the person is attempting to escape by using a deadly weapon
- The person may endanger life or inflict serious physical injury unless arrested
Prosecutors ruled the officer responded to an "immediate threat of deadly force" when Pike approached the officers with the butcher knife and that the "suddenness of the attack" left no time for a different response as the officer had no space to retreat.
"Based on these facts and following Missouri law regarding use of force, the officer’s use of deadly force falls within the protection of the law. The evidence is also insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer intentionally shot the infant or consciously disregarded the risk to the child.
The prosecutor's office released a 16-page letter on the decision not to file charges against the officer Friday. You can read it in full below.
The interaction between Pike and police was captured on the officer’s body-worn camera and released in a highly edited video almost three weeks later.
Police were called to the Oval Springs Apartments on Nov. 7, 2024 for a domestic disturbance.
Pike and her boyfriend’s mother got into a fight over who was best suited to take care of Destinii.
When officers arrived, they spoke with the child’s grandmother outside of the apartment complex before eventually entering the apartment.
Officers talked to Pike for more than 10 minutes before she pulled out a knife hidden in a nightstand.
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The Blue Springs Police Department investigated the police shooting as part of its involvement in the Police Involved Incident Team.
The police department turned over the case to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office in early December.
Johnson took her oath of office on Jan. 3.
More than two months later, she decided not to charge the Independence officer who fired his weapon.
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