‘Grief-stricken’: GoFundMe seeks help to bury 16-year-old shot and killed in Kansas City
An online fundraiser created to assist the family of a 16-year-old fatally shot in Kansas City earlier this week describes him as the eldest son in a family that is now overwhelmed with grief in the wake of his killing.
“Our hearts are broken, and it has been a difficult journey for his family and our community,” says the GoFundMe page, which seeks financial help for a culturally appropriate burial for Way La Baw, who spent his early years living in a refugee camp in Thailand.
Baw, of Kansas City, Kansas, was taken to a Kansas City hospital in a private vehicle with injuries not initially known to medical doctors. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Police have since determined that he was shot.
According to the GoFundMe, Baw was a junior at Wyandotte High School who had recently started a part-time job at Walmart. His family is originally from Myanmar and lived in a Thailand refugee camp for 10 years before coming to the U.S. in 2010. His father dreamed Baw would one day become a medical doctor, the webpage said.
The webpage was set up by Mang Sonna, executive director of Bethel Neighborhood Center, which helps refugees and immigrants adjust to living in the U.S. Sonna said the family is struggling financially as Baw’s mother, the sole breadwinner of the household, is too grief-stricken to work.
The family is also searching for answers to why Baw was killed.
Kansas City police were first called to St. Luke’s Hospital near the Country Club Plaza on Monday around 1 p.m. after receiving word that a juvenile had been taken there with fatal injuries. The person who drove Baw to the hospital was helping police with the investigation.
Earlier this week, Sgt. Jake Becchina, a police spokesman, said detectives were still working to determine the exact location of the shooting. He said police also are making headway with identifying persons of interest.
Authorities have yet to announce an arrest in the case.
Anyone with information is asked to contact KCPD’s homicide unit at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS. A reward of up to $25,000 is available for information leading to an arrest.
