INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — A Missouri officer will not face criminal charges after an investigation into a fatal shooting last year, involving a woman and her infant child, concluded that the force used was lawful. The Jackson County Prosecutor’s office announced the decision following an incident where police were called to an apartment complex in November for a reported assault.
Upon arrival, officers were in the process of arresting a woman, described as nonverbal, who communicated through nods and gestures. Unexpectedly, she took a butcher knife from a nearby table and moved towards the police while holding her baby. According to the prosecutor’s office, one officer managed to retreat, but another found himself trapped against a closet and unable to escape. He then fired four shots, which tragically resulted in the deaths of the woman and her child. Local news identified the victims as Maria Pike, 34, and her infant daughter, Destinii.
The Jackson County Prosecutor, Melesa Johnson, stated that the officer’s decision to use deadly force was legally justified. The office emphasized that there was insufficient evidence to show that the officer had deliberately targeted the baby. “The evidence shows that the shooting officer fired at the civilian who was holding the infant,” the prosecutors explained.
Johnson expressed the office’s profound regret over the tragedy, stating, “We did not arrive at this decision lightly. The loss of a young mother and her infant is both devastating and tragic.” She further elaborated that as prosecutors, their duty is to apply the law objectively, rather than be influenced by personal sympathy. “Our goal is to assess whether the actions taken were reasonable as defined by Missouri law, not to determine if they were the best possible actions,” added Johnson.
