Death of a 4-year-old caught in crossfire sparks outrage in Kansas City
Two days after 4-year-old Mahsaan Kelley-Wilson died in a shooting in Kansas City, more than 100 people gathered in Sanford Brown Plaza to express grief, but also anger.
The case has not yet been solved. Mahsaan’s family pleaded with members of the public to come forward with information during the vigil, held Wednesday in the small park near Brooklyn Avenue and Linwood Boulevard.
The vigil attracted dozens of people who said they’ve not attended these events before and wanted to get involved.
Gerald Logan was one of Mahsaan’s family members who spoke as the boy’s parents wept.
“It’s kind of devastating to get a call at 2 in the morning that your great-nephew was shot and killed,” said Logan said. “He’s a kid.”
Mahsaan died after he was hit by a bullet that ripped through his parents’ car near Eighth Street and the Paseo about 2 a.m. Monday. The family was driving home from a Father’s Day barbecue.
At the vigil Wednesday, Mahsaan’s parents were joined by dozens of city residents, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, neighborhood activists and other parents of slain children. Outrage at the killing of another child moved some at the vigil to talk about launching new anti-violence efforts in the community.
The little boy’s death is the second homicide involving a child this year, and more than 16 children have been killed in the Kansas City area in the past two years.
Rosilyn Temple, founder of KC Mothers in Charge, led the vigil, denouncing both the overall problem of homicides in Kansas City and Mahsaan’s death specifically.
“There’s a pattern in Kansas City that I’ve noticed,” Temple said. When homicides occur, she said, “no one stands up, no one comes out, nobody does anything. Then there’s a baby and everyone comes out.”
Anyone with information about the case can call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.
Ian Cummings: 816-234-4633, @Ian__Cummings
This story was originally published June 22, 2016 at 10:02 PM with the headline "Death of a 4-year-old caught in crossfire sparks outrage in Kansas City."