‘She was just blooming’: Community mourns 11-year-old girl shot and killed in KC home
Kourtney Freeman would have turned 12 years old in May.
Her death last Wednesday marked the sixth homicide in Kansas City this year where the victim was under the age of 18, according to data tracked by The Star.
On Monday evening, a group of residents, family, friends and advocates came to celebrate Kourtney’s life in front of her home and spoke about the need to curb violence in the community.
“She was just blooming, she had a whole life ahead of her. I knew she was going to do something,” said Samantha Freeman, Kourtney’s mother.
Samantha Freeman said that when Kourtney died, a part of her soul was taken away from her. Whoever did this will face consequences, she believes, saying, “You gonna get whatever you deserve.”
The shooting
Officers responded shortly after 9:45 p.m. last Wednesday to investigate reports of shots being fired near East 33rd Street and Flora Avenue, Capt. Jake Becchina with the Kansas City Police Department said. While officers were en route, they were told there had been a shooting and the victim was inside a home in the 3300 block of Flora in the Linwood Homeowners-Ivanhoe neighborhood.
Arriving officers were led inside a home, where they found Kourtney. She was unresponsive, and officers began rendering aid, Becchina said. Emergency medical workers took the victim to a hospital, where she was declared dead a short time later.
On Thursday, police said their preliminary indication is the victim was inside the home when she was struck by gunfire that came from outside.
Police later said they believe the suspects intended to shoot at the home.
“Indications are, yes, that the shots were fired from the nearby vicinity of that house and intended for that house,” Becchina said.
Rosilyn Temple of KC Mothers in Charge spoke at the celebration of life not even a week later, pleading for anyone with information about who killed Kourtney to step forward.
“A coward walked up to this house last week and took her life, and we demand we get them off the street if anyone knows who killed Kourtney Freeman, let’s speak up and get them off our Kansas City streets because I’m telling you, they will do it again if they haven’t already did it before,” she said.
Remembering Kourtney
A good student. A caring friend. A lover of basketball. A girl who was too young to die.
And, although only a child herself, an advocate against violence.
During 5th and 6th grade, Kourtney took part in Kauffman Cares, an after-school program that aims to make a difference in her community. A representative of the program said at the vigil that the topic this year was community violence. Kourtney, in fact, is featured in a video that will be released this Saturday at a community violence workshop about the project.
“Kourtney was an avid advocate for anybody who was ever bullied. She would be the person to stand up, she would be the person who would share her thoughts about it,” the representative said.
“She stood up for everybody in our building and she was able to articulate and talk about and share what she thought was needed to share to make sure that people were safe at Kauffman. She is going to be somebody who is missed.”
Aynesti was one of Kourtney’s best friends at school.
She described Kourtney as perfect; an ‘A’ student who was kind and made sure everyone was in line.
“Every morning, Kourtney would come in, she’ll touch my hair and say, ‘Oh, your hair’s so beautiful and long.’ After I heard the news, it just broke me to know I lost my best friend at 11 years old,” she said.
Saraja called herself Kourtney’s favorite cousin. When she received the call about Kourtney’s death, she couldn’t believe what she had heard. She said Kourtney was always a trustworthy person who was there to talk about your ups and downs, and always loved to do hair.
“I just wish she was at a different place, like at her friends or somebody else’s and maybe none of this would have happened,” she said. “I just wish I had got to talk to her that night. But I’m just glad that I got to see her last weekend.”
Kourtney’s aunt, Myesha Clay-Freeman, started a GoFundMe to help pay for her funeral services.
The community violence workshop Kourtney was involved in setting up will take place Saturday at 8:30 a.m. at Ewing Marion Kauffman School. RSVPs for those who want to attend should be sent by Wednesday to 816-268-5660.
The killing was Kansas City’s 41st homicide of the year, according to data tracked by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings. By the same time last year, which was Kansas City’s deadliest year, there were 48 homicides.
Police told The Star Tuesday that there are no updates on the case and that detectives are still working to identify a suspect.
Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to contact the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). Information submitted anonymously to the TIPS Hotline can earn a reward of up to $25,000. People can also contact homicide detectives directly at 816-234-5043.
The Star’s Nathan Pilling contributed to this report.
