Family holds vigil, urging police to do more months after Kansas City man killed
'I'm grieving, but I'm not,' . 'I cannot fully mourn, at times, I will start to break. And I just stop, take a deep breath, cause I can't. I can't do it, especially looking at the babies.'
KC man pleads guilty to federal gun charge from Chiefs' Super Bowl parade shooting
Zelpha described Jonathan as an outdoorsman and a caring father.
'His number one priority and in things was his three children. He loved his kids; he would do anything for these kids. That was his number one,' she said.
Zelpha said it's been tough for the three, ages 5, 6 and 17, to come to terms with what happened.
'They'd say 'this is the worst Thanksgiving ever, this is the worst Christmas ever. We want daddy!''
In the six months since Jonathan's death, Zelpha said Kansas City police haven't done enough.
'There's been no progress,' she said. 'The only thing I'm being told is, 'oh, calm down, it's still an open case, we haven't closed it.' There's been no arrest, no questioning, no nothing.'
She said she's even brought information about the case to detectives.
'I feel as if it were their child, they would have someone in custody,' she said. 'Why aren't they doing more? Why aren't they doing something?'
The night of Jonathan's death, Zelpha said he called her asking to live with her full time. He had lined up a job that he would've started the following Monday, and had even made arrangements to go to an inpatient rehab facility.
'He was he was ready to get everything under control,' she said. 'And that that happened that night. He's not just a homeless drug addict, I mean even if he was, c'mon they're human and have a life and have family somewhere.'
KCPD investigating deadly shooting near 55th, Euclid Avenue
She said there are people who know what happened to Jonathan, and they need to tell the police.
'He had three beautiful children. Let them have peace please,' she begged. 'Please, before it happens to you or someone you love, call in, do something, please.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Rashee Rice's NFL disciplinary hearing reportedly scheduled for Sept. 30, likely making him eligible for Chiefs' first 4 games
Kansas City wide receiver Rashee Rice will reportedly have his disciplinary hearing with the NFL on Sept. 30, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, meaning he will likely be eligible for the Chiefs' first four games of the season. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Former U.S. district judge Sue L. Robinson, who acts as the NFL and NFLPA's jointly-appointed discplinary officer, will preside over the hearing. According to Schefter, the only NFL disciplinary hearing she heard was DeShaun Watson's. According to the Washington Post's Mark Maske, the league and union have held talks about a possible settlement in the case, which could occur before the Sept. 30 hearing. The Chiefs begin the season against the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil on Sept. 5, then face the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens — a game that will take place two days before Rice's NFL hearing. Rice's status has been up in the air due to his involvement in a multi-vehicle crash in Dallas in March 2024. The news comes following word of Rice's sentencing to 30 days in jail and five years' probation for his part in the crash. At the time of the incident, Rice's lawyer confirmed that his client was driving a Lamborghini that was racing a Corvette involved in an accident with three other vehicles on a highway in northeast Dallas. He was driving 119 mph just before the crash occurred, according to a police report. The drivers of the Lamborghini and Corvette fled the scene without providing any information or checking if anyone involved in the crash required medical attention. At least four people were injured in the crash. Rice turned himself in to the police nine days after the incident. He faced eight charges for his role in the crash, including six counts of collision causing bodily injury, one count of collision causing serious bodily injury and one count of aggravated assault. Two people involved in the accident sued Rice and Teddy Knox, who allegedly drove the Corvette, for $1 million in negligence and punitive damages — a lawsuit that was settled in favor of the plaintiffs, Dallas County court records indicate. The lawsuit claimed that numerous injuries from the crash, including 'trauma to the brain, lacerations to the face requiring stitches, multiple contusions about the body, disfigurement, internal bleeding, and other internal and external injuries that may only be fully revealed over the course of medical treatment.' Rice was also suspected of assaulting a photographer in May, but the alleged victim dropped the charges and incurred no punishment from the league. The looming suspension was very likely a factor in Kansas City drafting Texas receiver Xavier Worthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Chiefs traded up from the No. 32 selection in the first round to No. 28 to select the speedster. Last season, Rice played only four games for the Chiefs after suffering a torn lateral collateral ligament in his right knee. He made 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
New Orleans mayor indicted on federal corruption charges
The New Orleans mayor, LaToya Cantrell, was indicted on Friday on federal corruption charges after spending roughly three years under investigation. The indictment against Cantrell came after the September 2024 indictment of local businessman Randy Farrell, who was charged with exchanging gifts with the mayor so that she would allegedly fire a municipal employee who was investigating Farrell's building inspection company. Among the alleged gifts were tickets to a January 2019 New Orleans Saints football game, which was being played with an appearance at the Super Bowl on the line, a cellphone and lunch at an upscale Ruth's Chris Steak House in the city. Cantrell had also drawn scrutiny for an alleged affair with a now retired New Orleans police officer who had served as her bodyguard. The bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, allegedly claimed he was at work while he was actually engaging in 'a personal and romantic relationship' with the mayor. Vappie was charged as a co-defendant in Friday's indictment against Cantrell, full details of which were not immediately available, as Guardian reporting partner WWL Louisiana reported. He had previously been charged with wire fraud and lying to FBI agents in July 2024, shortly after he retired from New Orleans' police force. The allegations called to mind the 2018 scandal that cost the Nashville mayor, Megan Barry, her job and centered on an affair with her bodyguard, Robert Forrest. Prosecutors who had obtained the 2024 charges against Vappie have alleged he researched that case online two years earlier. Both Vappie and Farrell have pleaded not guilty to the charges previously filed against them. While the Donald Trump-led US justice department obtained the indictment against Cantrell about seven months into the Republican's second presidency, the federal investigation into the mayor began while Joe Biden – her fellow Democrat – was in his second full year in the Oval Office. Cantrell's lawyer, Eddie Castaing, confirmed to the Associated Press on Friday that an indictment was returned against his client. He also said her name was read aloud by a federal magistrate judge as a defendant. Cantrell, a native of Compton, California, had been a New Orleans city council member before winning election as its mayor in November 2017. She thus became New Orleans's first female mayor and was re-elected four years later. Her second term – which saw the unexpected death of her husband in August 2023 – is due to end in January 2026. Cantrell was term-limited from seeking another stint as mayor, and several candidates have signed up to run to replace her in a primary election set for October. Cantrell on Friday became the first New Orleans mayor charged with federal crimes while still in office. The federal investigation into her began with 2022 subpoenas issued with respect to an image consultant that she employed. Only one other person who has served as New Orleans mayor has been indicted by the US government on federal corruption charges during the city's 307-year history: Ray Nagin. Nagin was New Orleans's mayor when the failure of federal levees there during Hurricane Katrina on 29 August 2005 destroyed the city and caused about 1,400 deaths. He was convicted in 2014 on charges of bribery, honest services wire fraud, money laundering, filing false tax returns and conspiracy, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The Associated Press contributed reporting Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Heavy police presence in Gibson City Monday afternoon
GIBSON CITY, Ill. (WCIA) — There is a heavy police presence in Gibson City Monday afternoon. The officers are in the area of IL-54 and N 300 E Road. Two officers shot in Gibson City, Suspect sought A WCIA reporter on the scene said the officers appear to be searching a field. This is a developing story. We will share updates as we learn more. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
