‘We still do not believe KCPD’: Activists rally for woman shot by Kansas City police
As the Kansas City police department faces scrutiny over the arrest of Leonna Hale, protesters and activists gathered Wednesday near the site where the 26-year-old woman was shot and seriously wounded by two officers, condemning the police for the way they handled the situation.
Roughly two dozen people organized in the parking lot beside the Family Dollar at Sixth Street and Prospect Avenue in the Independence Plaza neighborhood. Several challenged the official narrative that has been given by authorities that Hale was armed and presented a threat to the officers.
“We do not care how they tried to vilify our sister,” Dawn Oliver, a community activist, said to the group Wednesday evening. “We will show up for ours and we will continue to support her through this long and challenging journey.”
Hale was shot and hospitalized Friday after authorities say she pointed a gun at officers while police were attempting to arrest her in connection with a carjacking. Her medical condition remained stable as of Wednesday.
In the days since, criticism of the department has been swift as reports emerged, including from The Star, based on the account of a witness who said Hale appeared to be unarmed and running away from police when she was shot. The witness, who filmed the aftermath and shared videos on Facebook, also said she overheard Hale telling police that she was pregnant at one point during the encounter.
Authorities now say Hale was seen on police body cameras pointing a gun at officers before she was shot, though the use of force is still under investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office. Officials have declined to say whether she was pregnant at the time, and attempts by The Star to reach Hale’s family have been unsuccessful.
On Wednesday evening, organizers set up folding tables with poster boards, markers and photographs of the young woman used to make signs that called for justice for Hale. Speakers raised a host of issues including mass shootings, white nationalism, poverty, the racial disparities in police use-of-force and the portrayal of Black people in the news media.
The protest began less than an hour after prosecutors announced the filing of criminal charges against Hale stemming from the arrest. Prosecutors also released a photograph that appeared to show Hale in a running stance holding an object that authorities say was a firearm — a rare disclosure in open police shooting investigations.
Steve Young, another activist present for the protest, questioned the motive behind releasing the picture, saying the move appears to have been made to head off potential unrest.
“The block was getting hot because we know that they did something wrong,” said Young, adding: “I still want to see the video. Because we still do not believe KCPD.”
Details of shooting
Kansas City police officers on patrol were investigating an armed carjacking of a Chrysler Town and Country reported earlier that evening from across the state line in Kansas City, Kansas. The officers then found the vehicle in the parking lot of the Family Dollar at 634 Prospect Avenue.
Dispatch advised officers that a man and a woman, possibly armed with a gun, were sought in connection with the carjacking, police have said.
As they were attempting to arrest the two suspects, police said, a man exited the driver’s side door and began to run away. Hale then got out of the passenger side and ran to the parking lot of the Family Dollar, where she was shot.
Police have said the only gunfire immediately confirmed came from two officers. Hale is accused of having a gun in her hand when the officers shot her. Police said a gun was found on the ground and taken as evidence.
Hale charged
On Wednesday evening, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced that Hale was charged with unlawful firearm possession, exhibiting a firearm and resisting arrest.
Baker released a statement Wednesday saying that her office had seen the police body camera video that showed Hale “continually displayed a weapon during her encounter with police officers” despite reports to the contrary.
“Our job, as prosecutors, is to remain neutral and review all evidence,” Baker said. “Our review of body cam videos provided the actual accounting of events that night.”
Charging documents allege Hale pointed a handgun at officers as she ran through a grassy field beside the Family Dollar parking lot. In statements to detectives, police officers said she refused commands to drop the weapon, including one of the officers who recalled fearing for her life as she reported seeing the firearm pointed at her.
During an interview with highway patrol investigators, Hale denied ever having a firearm. She allegedly declined to speak with KCPD detectives outside the presence of a lawyer after being presented with body camera footage and audio recordings captured by the officers involved in the shooting.
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 10:24 PM.
