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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Gunfire erupted outside a Kansas City, Missouri, church Friday morning during a funeral service, injuring four people, including an off-duty KCPD police officer.
The shooting happened just after 11:15 a.m. at a church near Indiana and Bales avenues in Northeast KCMO. The service was being held for Jerrell Westmoreland, 29, who was shot and killed two weeks ago inside a car.
Police officers found Westmoreland and a second murder victim, Brittnee McMillion, 29, in the back parking lot of an apartment building in the 1300 block of East Armour Boulevard.
Off-duty KCPD officers working at the funeral were inside the church when shots were fired from outside the building.
Bullets slammed into the church, forcing the mourners and officers to take cover.
Chuck, the uncle of Westmoreland, said the shooting happened without warning during prayer.
"The preacher was praying, everybody had their head bowed and then the shooting broke off," Chuck said. "Mysteriously, nobody seen nothing, police standing right there, police didn't even seen nothing. How that happen that fast?"
The officer suffered a non-life-threatening injury. Of the three that were hurt, two were struck by gunfire. All the victims are expected to survive.
Chuck described the moment the shots rang out.
"It was just pow, pow, pow, pow, and a lot of noise."
Police said Friday the motive is unknown, but retaliation has not been ruled out. Sgt. Phillip DiMartino, the department's spokesperson, said investigators are exploring multiple possibilities.
"That will be something we're going to look into," DiMartino said. "Is this group-related violence, is this just a one-off, was there an intended target, was this someone just shooting to shoot. All of those are on the table."
A woman walking by the church, Nilda Reyes, said the shooting has shaken the community.
"It's unheard of somebody shooting outside of the church, so we're praying and trusting God for the communities to be safe."
Chuck said Westmoreland will be simply remembered as "a good person."
Chuck said the family will not hold another service and hopes to bury Westmoreland in peace.
No arrests had been made as of Friday evening.
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