Kindergarten teacher knew child killed in KCK shooting as ‘jokester’ with many friends
Students and educators at West Park Elementary School were grieving Thursday after a kindergartner was fatally shot outside his Kansas City, Kansas, home.
Sir’Antonio Brown, 6, was shot and killed around 6 p.m. Wednesday near his home in the 3100 block of Greeley Avenue.
Family said he had been playing outside when three masked men exited a car down the street and started shooting. Police on Thursday said the vehicle had been located in Kansas City, Missouri, but the perpetrators had not been caught.
Kindergarten teacher Amanda Mynatt said she thought of Sir’Antonio as her “school son,” because like her own child, he had needed extra help at first.
“He’s always like a jokester,” Mynatt said — just the day before, Sir’Antonio had pretended to sleepwalk after being asked to sit still — “but he’s also really smart and has a lot of friends.”
Mynatt said Thursday the situation was painful and that she was “just making it through today.”
Students were upset, she said. Some talked about when Sir’Antonio was coming back.
“Everybody today’s has been like that’s my best friend, that’s my best friend, that’s my best friend, to the point where he actually, no matter where you put him, he could not ever be quiet for two seconds because he was everybody’s best friend.”
Principal Angela Wright said the death of such a young student was devastating.
“It’s heartbreaking because when I look at all of my students, I think of them as my own kids,” she said. “We want to give them the best education as possible. We build those relationships with them and with their families and it’s hard, it’s like losing your own child. I can’t even imagine what his mother is going through.”
Wright said Sir’Antonio was full of energy and excited about learning.
“When I think of Sir, I smile,” she said. “I love being in Mrs. Mynatt’s classroom. When I go in there, Sir would run up and give me a hug.”
A team is available for students who need support navigating their loss.
“It’s awful,” Wright said. “It’s hard for all of us to process, but we’re just going to do what we continue to do, be there for each other, support each other and then have the support of our district.”
Eleven youths under age 20 have been killed this year in the Kansas City metro, according to data tracked by The Star, including three in Kansas City, Kansas.
This story was originally published May 4, 2023 at 2:58 PM.
