‘Do something’: Mass shooting victim’s family wants KC, Missouri to crack down on guns
Trish Mitchell never let fear rule her life, but since her niece was fatally shot Sunday while celebrating her 28th birthday, it’s all she can think about now.
When Mitchell lets her dog out at night, she worries someone could whip out a gun and shoot. Pop-up and vendor events that she regularly attends for her business have become another source of anxiety.
Her niece, Jasity “Jas” Strong, was one of three people fatally shot around 4:30 a.m. Sunday at 57th Street and Prospect Avenue outside an auto shop that had previously hosted informal after-hour parties, police said. Nikko Manning, 22, and Camden Brown, 27, also died in the shooting, which injured six others.
Mitchell started a Change.org petition Wednesday advocating for stricter gun laws in Kansas City that would make it illegal for people to bring concealed weapons to public events. She said on Facebook that she eventually hopes to pursue the legislation, which they’ve called Jasity’s Law, at both the state and federal levels.
“Amending conceal and carry laws for public gatherings would not only decrease the risk of gun violence but also provide peace of mind for those attending such events,” Mitchell wrote in the petition.
“It would allow law enforcement officials to have better control over who is carrying a weapon at any given time, ultimately making our communities safer.”
Missouri has some of the least restrictive gun laws in the nation.
But Mitchell said tightening up legislation like concealed carry laws would cut down on tragedies like the one her family and so many others have faced, just because a loved one attended an event where someone used a weapon instead of words to address a dispute.
She recently had to have a long and complicated conversation with her 21-year-old daughter, letting her know it’s good to go out, but that she needs to be aware of her surroundings.
That shouldn’t have to happen, Mitchell said. They all deserve to celebrate and enjoy life without the worry that someone could show up with a firearm at any time and change their lives forever, she said.
“Why do you need a gun at a public gathering unless you’re coming to defend yourself against someone else who has a gun?” Mitchell told The Star. “Our hope is that we can get that legislation passed and make some kind of difference so no one else has to experience what we’re experiencing.”
Two mass shootings in just over one month
Strong and the other victims were gathered outside Perfect Touch Auto Detail, an auto shop that police said has been known to host “after hours gatherings,” when gunshots broke out in the early morning hours on Sunday morning. One nearby resident said they heard more than 40 shots fired.
One of two suspects in the shooting, 26-year-old Keivon M. Greene, was charged Tuesday with two counts of second-degree murder in Manning and Brown’s deaths.
He also faces a second-degree felony murder charge in Strong’s killing, among other charges. A felony murder charge can be filed when someone dies in the commission of a felony. Prosecutors said it’s unclear whether Greene fired the shot that killed Strong.
Surveillance video shows Greene walking toward the crowd gathered outside the auto shop and shooting into the group, Tuesday’s charging documents show. Then Greene turned and started shooting at another group of people in the parking lot
This mass shooting came about one month after a such shooting at Klymax Lounge, 4242 Indiana Ave., just 2.5 miles away, that killed three people and injured two.
By some definitions, both incidents could be considered mass shootings.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, an incident in which at least four people are injured or killed besides the shooter can be considered a mass shooting. Other organizations, like Everytown for Gun Safety, say that if at least four people other than the shooter are fatally shot, the incident is a mass shooting.
Current laws allow anyone in Missouri to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. Concealed firearms are banned in places of worship, Election Day polling locations, school buses and events, large stadiums, liquor stores and government buildings.
Visible firearms are also allowed almost everywhere, as long as they aren’t “being brandished in a threatening manner,” and minors can purchase firearms in the state with parental consent.
‘We need more than prayers’
Mitchell has never involved herself much with politics or started a petition. She doesn’t have an exact plan to approach advocating for a law or pushing for enforcement guidelines. But she knows policies need to change so that people can see friends and celebrate without fear of another shooting.
If the petition builds momentum, she hopes to get in touch with Mayor Quinton Lucas or other leaders willing to help. So far, around 100 people have signed the petition since it was posted Wednesday. Her family and friends are signing and sharing it to make sure it reaches as many people as possible.
It’s easy, she said, to see constant shootings on the news and become desensitized to the prevalence of gun violence in the U.S. But when it’s your loved ones who are are impacted, Mitchell said, it “affects you on a molecular level” and changes your life forever.
One of Strong’s sisters also started a GoFundMe to help raise funds for the care of her young son and daughter.
After many shootings, there’s news coverage, balloon releases and talk of the need for change, but Mitchell plans to push to see it happen this time.
“We need more than prayers and condolences,” she said. “It’s time for us as a community to band together, rally around the victims of these senseless crimes and shootings and do something about it.”
