A man and woman are dead and a child is fighting for his life after a shooting early Monday morning in Kansas City, Missouri.
Detectives are continuing to investigate the double homicide. The deceased victims have been identified as 31-year-old Ashley Pettiford and 34-year-old Jermaine Jackson.
The surviving juvenile victim is the 5-year-old son of Pettiford. He is making improvements at the hospital after medical treatments. His injuries are considered serious, but he is expected to survive.
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It happened around 12:45 a.m. near Linwood & Agnes. Police found the three people in a vehicle in a parking lot. The man and woman were dead when police arrived. The 5-year-old boy had been shot as well. He was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Police say he is in critical but stable condition.
“To witness your parent being hurt, is one of … an incredibly traumatic event,” said Ann Thomas, president and CEO of The Children’s Place. “They need a sense of safety. They need to know that they’re OK.”
She said the best three things to help children overcome trauma are to talk to the child, let them know they are safe and listen to their questions.
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“You’re not going to overexplain things. Only work with what they give you in the moment and then educate them on certain things where maybe they’ve gotten misinformation about,” she said.
She said trauma doesn’t have to define a child. There is help.
Police are looking for any witnesses. The relationship between the two deceased victims is still being investigated at this time.
If you know anything that could help police, contact the Crimestoppers TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. You can remain anonymous and if your information leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a $25,000 reward.
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