Apartment complex will host a candlelight vigil Friday for a child killed in an officer-involved shooting

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Police are still tight-lipped about what happened Thursday at Oval Spring Apartments. A lot of what happened remains unclear. However, two people – a woman armed with a knife and a child – subsequently died a police officer fired their gun.

“It was a terrible incident. We are incredibly sad about this,” the spokesperson said Oval spring apartments property manager Carrie Lufkin Saturday. “It was terrible. I have seen terrible things that I will never get out of my mind.”

“It was just an unfortunate turn of events,” said Gavin Delaney, the property’s assistant manager, who also witnessed what happened Thursday. “I don’t think anyone wanted this to happen.”

This Friday, Oval Spring Apartments will host a memorial vigil for the deceased child. The vigil is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the public is invited to attend. The memorial will consist of candles and a balloon release – in front of the building where the situation took place.

“It affects everyone. It affects the family; it affects the law enforcement agencies involved. It was absolutely tragic. I can’t imagine being that family,” Lufkin said. “We want to do the right thing and let everyone know that we are deeply saddened, and that we really care so much.”

Mental health professionals will be on site next week. They will be there to help the apartment community deal with the emotions of what happened.

“These are their houses. To be disrupted in your home by an event and a tragedy like what has occurred, everyone has their own way of coping and we want to be able to help with that,” Delaney said.

Because there is a shooting involving the police, the situation is being investigated by the Police Involved Incident Team. The Blue Springs Police Department is the lead agency for the investigation. KCTV5 reached out to the department for an update but did not hear back. The officer who fired the gun and two others are on administrative leave.