‘The bullets have to come down’: KCPD warns neighbors of July 4 celebratory gunfire
Kansas City police officers spent Monday afternoon canvassing several blocks in an effort to curb celebratory gunfire on the July Fourth holiday.
It was a message that resonated with resident Lemuel Fields.
On July 4, Fields said, he moves his bed away from the window until the rush of noise dies down.
“The bullets have to come down,” he said, adding that a friend of his was killed in an accidental shooting during a New Years Eve celebration.
Data from the Kansas City Police Department’s ShotSpotter program tells part of the story. Last year, the system detected 197 gunshots fired in 41 different events within 3.5 square miles over a period of 36 hours.
This is the fourth year police have gone door-to-door to spread awareness ahead of Independence Day. Every year they have been joined by Michele Shanahan DeMoss and Brian DeMoss.
On July 4, 2011, their 11-year-old daughter Blair Shanahan Lane was hit in the neck by a stray bullet that had traveled the length of three football fields.
Initially DeMoss knew her daughter had a severe injury, but didn’t know the cause.
“To be told she was hit by a bullet, I mean still till this day, it’s just incomprehensible,” she said.
It’s still surprising, DeMoss added, that people don’t realize how reckless and irresponsible it is to fire a gun at an unknown target.
Raising awareness has been a positive way to channel her energy. In past years, some residents she’s met have become emotional after hearing her story.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Don LaFayette told her Monday on his front porch.
As the group knocked on doors, Sgt. Jake Becchina of the Kansas City Police Department explained that they were raising awareness about the dangers of celebratory gunfire and encouraged residents to report gunshots.
The men responsible for Blair’s death had fired several shots.
“Not once did someone call 911 to report gunfire,” Becchina said. “That has to change.”
The gun’s owner, who had fired some of the shots, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Blair’s death.
The canvassing initiative appears to have a positive impact. In the immediate areas that have been canvassed the past three years, no repeat gunfire events were reported compared to data from previous years, police said.
“To fire off a gun in the city limits is both irresponsible and illegal,” Becchina said. “Residents of Kansas City should not be subject to experiencing gunfire around their home.”
