A 6-year-old girl was killed Friday evening while buying a pack of bubblegum at a convenience store in Kansas City.
Angel Hooper was killed during a drive-by shooting. She went to 7-Eleven after a jog with her father and friend just after 7 p.m. when a passing vehicle fired several shots at the convenience store. The first grader was hit in the head and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Police officers are investigating the convenience store's security cameras and are encouraging anyone who witnessed the crime to help.
Maj. Karl Oakman, commander of the police department's South Patrol Division, said that Hooper has all the power of the Kansas City Police Department behind her. He also stressed that the investigation will not rest until the little kid's killers are arrested.
"Wherever you are, we will find you," ABC News quoted Oakman as saying.
Angel's mother, Charity Guinn, says that investigators promised her that they will put in their best effort in searching for her daughter's shooter.
Hooper is said to have been an affectionate kid who loved books, dancing, singing, and cartoons, much like any other 6-year-old. Family members remember her as an optimistic kid who was a "hugger." She also loved attending church where she served her congregation as a praise dancer. Her first grade teacher, Kimberly Walter, described her as a "little walking genius."
To commemorate the little girl's short life, her relatives and hundreds of supporters gathered at Sycamore Park to rally and call for justice. The community is showing relentless support to her parents.
"It helps a lot to know that people care," Guinn said, as quoted by The Kansas City Star.
One of her cousins, Mikiyah Guinn, now 11 years old also experienced a drive-by, not once but twice, at age three and nine.
