Kansas City Star: Kansas City youth are experiencing more violence. It's taking a toll, doctor say
By Andrea Klick
Six months after her daughter’s death, Jenele Hughes and her family attended what would have been the teen’s graduation from Grandview High School.
Like many seniors, her daughter Amauri Hughes had been excited to graduate and start the next phase of her life. She had planned to attend Florida A&M University, and then become a flight attendant to travel the world.
Before school started, her mom picked out a shirt on Amazon that said “Proud mama of a 2024 senior,” and found similar ones for Amauri’s sister, brother, grandparents, aunts and other relatives. She let the shirts sit in her online cart for months, unsure if the family should wear them for Amauri’s senior photos or save them for graduation.
But the opportunity to stand beside her daughter for those occasions was taken from her.
Over the last year, the emergency room at Children’s Mercy has seen a significant increase in patients admitted with gunshot wounds and other forms of “penetrating trauma,” said Dr. Jennifer Watts, a pediatric emergency medicine physician.
In 2023, Kansas City police reported 59 children and teens wounded by gunfire.
As of June 16, 52 youth gunshot wounds have already been reported in 2024, according to data from police. As the numbers rise, so does the heartbreak for families across Kansas City.
Read the full article via The Kansas City Star