KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
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Elijah Ming's son is only two — too young to hold many memories of his dad.
But he will remember him. Elijah lives on in Deuce — the little one who also carries his father’s name.
“He definitely carries a lot of traits that Elijah had,” said Elijah’s wife, Tiara Ming.
One of those traits now stands tall on a KCK baseball field. On Thursday, fallen Wyandotte County Deputy Elijah Ming was honored once again as Heathwood Park was renamed Elijah Ming Memorial Field.
“It'll be here for generations and decades to come,” said KCK Mayor Tyrone Garner.
“That's a sign to our young people in this community that these are the folks we should be looking up to,” said Wyandotte County Sheriff Daniel Soptic.
Family, friends, Wyandotte County deputies, and local officials attended the event.
Ming was shot and killed in July as he responded to help a woman who felt threatened while moving out of a home in Kansas City, Kansas.
“He was the guy,” said America Patton, Elijah’s mentor. “He had the whole package.”
Elijah's brothers say there’s no better place for the dedication — they have countless memories there.
“To see bro's name right here… it makes sense,” said Isaiah Ming. “It all started here.”
“That was the best years of my life,” said Herman Ming.
But this year was a hard one.
They lost their mom to cancer and their brother to gun violence just days apart.
Moving on is not easy.
“That's when my whole life changed,” said Isaiah. “Just trying to learn how to get through these rainy days.”
As they cope, they hold on to the dreams that are now becoming reality — even if not in the way they imagined.
“We really dreamed about us having something named after us. We never thought it’d come to this,” said Herman. “He's definitely gonna live on.”
They hope Elijah's memory continues to guide future generations — especially his little man.
“It's a special moment for him because I don't think he realizes how much weight his name is going to carry in the community,” Tiara said.
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