A community in Independence, Missouri, is calling for justice after a mother and her three-month-old infant were fatally shot by police responding to a call about a domestic dispute on November 7.
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According to the Kansas City Defender, the series of events began when Talisa Coombs, the grandmother of three-month-old Destiny Hope, called 911 to report an assault during a domestic dispute at her home. Officers from the Independence Police Department reportedly arrived at the Oval Spring Apartments with their weapons drawn and did not employ any de-escalation methods. Maria Pike, 22, was holding her daughter when the officers arrived, and her boyfriend, Mitchell Holder, Destiny’s father, stated that the officers fatally shot both the infant and the mother.
“They shot my baby…I just kept screaming, ‘YOU KILLED HER!” he recalled. Holder added that Maria succumbed to her injuries while reacting to her daughter’s death, and authorities did nothing to stop the bleeding. Following the tragic shooting, the Independence Police Department said in a statement that the 22-year-old mother was armed with a knife, but witnesses said they didn’t see her holding anything.
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However, Police Chief Adam Dustman has not confined whether the shots fired by the officers fatally shot Destiny. The incident has sparked outrage within the community as members are seeking evidence such as body cam footage, and accountability for the officers involved in the shooting.
The family has created a GoFundMe account for funeral expenses and seeks justice for their loved ones.
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