KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.
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The City of Independence reached a nearly $6 million settlement agreement last month to resolve a wrongful death lawsuit filed in connection with the deadly 2024 police shooting that killed Maria Pike and her infant daughter, Destinii Hope.
In May, the city and attorneys representing Tim and Lynn Pike and Mitchell Holder announced they had reached a settlement in the case, filed in July 2025 in Jackson County Circuit Court.
At the time, the terms of the settlement were not disclosed, pending all parties signing the settlement.
Records obtained Monday by KSHB 41 News reporter Tod Palmer show that the last date of a confirmed signature in the settlement was last week, on May 26.
According to the terms of the settlement, Tom and Lynne Pike will receive $2.945 million. Holder will also receive $2.945 million.
In a statement Monday, an Independence spokesperson said the settlement did “not constitute an admission of wrongdoing by Independence Police Department officers but does represent an agreement by all parties to move forward following the tragic loss of two lives.”
“November 7, 2024, was a devastating day for the families of Maria Pike and Destinii, for our officers, and for the entire Independence community,” the city said in its statement. “Law enforcement is a difficult and complex profession in which officers are often required to make split-second decisions in unpredictable and dangerous situations. We recognize the weight of those decisions and the impact they have on those directly involved as well as countless others.”
The police shooting was the focus of a KSHB 41 News special report, In Crisis.
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