Police Shooting: No Charges for Officer Who Killed Mother and Baby

2025-03-17 12:01:20.647

A Missouri police officer who shot and killed a woman and her three-month-old daughter last year will not face criminal charges, according to prosecutors. Two Independence police officers responded to an assault report at an apartment building in November. While attempting to arrest a nonverbal woman who was communicating with nods and gestures, she lunged at them with a butcher knife, holding her child. One officer escaped, but the other, cornered against a closet, fired four shots, killing 34-year-old Maria Pike and her daughter, Destinii. Prosecutors stated the officer's use of deadly force is legally justified, and there wasn't enough evidence to prove the infant was intentionally shot. The prosecutor emphasized the tragic loss but affirmed their obligation to apply the law based on the facts, regardless of sympathy.