KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories providing solutions and offering discussions on topics of crime and violence. She also covers stories in the Northland. Share your story idea with La’Nita.
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The federal government has awarded the Mattie Rhodes Center with $1,031,000 for violence prevention initiatives, as Kansas City, Missouri, homicides have declined compared to this time last year.
The city has seen 40 homicides so far this year, down from 51 at this point last year. City leaders believe the new funding will help that number continue to decline.
The Mattie Rhodes Center created its community-based violence intervention program to address tragedies in the community, like the death of Michael DeHaan.
DeHaan was pumping gas when he was shot and killed in an apparent carjacking on Aug. 21, 2024.
"He was everything to me," said Tammy DeHaan, Michael's mother. "He was my best friend. He would always talk to me. He was my purpose."
On Thursday, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II, Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson and other area leaders were in attendance for the check presentation.
"Yes, traditional law enforcement deserves to be well-resourced, but so does our community," Johnson said.
The funding will be used to prevent crime, including efforts to teach conflict resolution.
"The funds will continue to help us make available therapy, de-escalation, training, visits to schools and providing emotional support there," said John Fierro, Mattie Rhodes president and CEO.
While DeHaan said she does not know if a program like this would have saved her son's life, she believes investing in crime reduction is always worth it.
"I think it could protect others, especially the young ones," DeHaan said.
The trial for Michael's murder is set to start in December.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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