Latest news with #WalkofHonor
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘He was a part of our lives:' Loved ones memorialized in granite at KC's WWI Museum
An engraved heart helped Martha Burt spot the newly installed brick honoring her late husband, Gene, out of the almost 10,000 memorial blocks at the National World War I Museum and Memorial. Martha's three adult daughters surprised her with the brick to honor their dad, a longtime museum volunteer. The group braved a persistent drizzle to attend the Memorial Day dedication for new engraved granite blocks on the museum's Walk of Honor. The family remembered Gene Burt putting on his blue volunteer shirt and stopping for QuikTrip donuts on his way to the museum every week. A history lover, Gene had volunteered more than 2,000 hours before he died of cancer last spring. Some of Gene's fellow 'Thursday group' volunteers attended his funeral. Martha teared up sharing her memories of her husband telling visitors about the poppies in the museum lobby. 'He loved the people coming in and saying something to them to help their stay, and help them enjoy it,' she said. The Walk of Honor dedication allowed the Burt family to remember their father and husband. 'He was a part of our lives. The biggest part,' Martha said. Civilians, like Gene Burt, and veterans alike are honored on the Liberty Memorial's Walk of Honor. Approximately 300 people attended the dedication ceremony, which took place in the auditorium and spilled out into a full overflow room. The ceremony included speeches and a slideshow of each person honored on the 97 granite bricks, which start at $300. People come to the Liberty Memorial solely to see their loved ones on the bricks, said Karis Erwin, vice president of marketing and guest service for the museum. She spoke of a family member attending Monday's event, which helped bring a ceremonial end to his time serving in the Vietnam War. 'For him to have an opportunity to honor that commitment that he made so many decades ago, and to have a room full of people celebrating that, I think is really great closure for him,' Erwin said. Memorial Day marks the beginning of the busy months for the National World War I Museum and Memorial. During the summer, the museum sees many out of town visitors, after three seasons of mostly school groups and local visitors. This year local visitors will get a summer deal. From June 1 through Sept. 1, Kansas City area residents can purchase discounted $10 tickets that grant access to the main museum, special exhibits and the Liberty Memorial observation deck.
New York Post
08-05-2025
- New York Post
Armed vigilante gunned down by cops in failed revenge hit on suspect who killed his young great-grandkids
An armed man on a vigilante mission to avenge the killing of his great-grandchildren was gunned down in a chaotic shootout with deputies escorting inmates in front of an Indiana courthouse Tuesday, according to family and officials. The 65-year-old shooter, Mark Vawter, showed up at the Hendricks County Courthouse at 12:55 p.m. with the intention of slaughtering S'Doni Pettis, who's accused of killing Vawter's young grandchildren in a fiery car crash during a February police chase. While trying to evade capture, Pettis, 25, slammed the stolen Honda Civic he was driving into a Ford Explorer containing 3-year-old Ares and 2-month-old Iris, according to court records. Advertisement The youngsters were horribly burned when the Explorer — driven by their dad — exploded into a fireball. 6 Mark Vawter was identified as the armed vigilante killed by police outside the Hendricks County Courthouse on May 6, 2025. Family Handout via WTHR Iris, who had just left her 2-month doctor checkup about 30 minutes before the crash, died at the scene. Good Samaritans and officers heroically pulled Ares out of the inferno. Advertisement He was rushed to the hospital with burns on 60 percent of his body. The family took him off life support a few days later, according to reports. Pettis was supposed to have a court appearance in the vehicular manslaughter case Tuesday, but unbeknownst to Vawter, it had been rescheduled. An armed Vawter was spotted leaning against a courthouse wall when the deputies started to transport the inmates. 6 S'Doni Pettis is suspected in causing the fatal crash while escaping capture from police in February. Avon Police Advertisement He approached and confronted the group, firing off at least one shot shortly after, according to officials and reports. His shot did not hit anyone, but two Hendricks County Sheriff's Deputies, Zachary Emmitt and Deputy Nathan Phillips, returned fire and did not miss. Vawter was pronounced dead at the scene, according to officials. 6 Street camera captured the aftermath of the deadly crash at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Ronald Reagan Parkway in Plainfield, Indiana. WRTV Advertisement The great-grandfather spoke with the IndyStar at Riley Hospital for Children just days after the fatal fiery crash, as he was observing a Walk of Honor for little Ares, who became an organ donor after his death. 'It should have been Ares who buried me, not me burying him,' an emotional Vawter said at the time. 'He was so young.' Neighbors suspect Vawter had been planning his revenge for weeks, according to I-Team 8. 6 Indiana State Police investigate the officer-involved shooting outside the courthouse on May 6, 2025. WTHR 6 The two young children, Iris and Ares killed in the February crash. WRTV Dennis and Charlotte Wagoner said they had a disturbing conversation with Vawter weeks before the shootout in which he told them that he didn't have long to live. 'I think that he was planning it, to go over there at the Courthouse and take out that guy who took out his grandkids,' Charlotte Wagoner said. 'It didn't mean anything to me [at the time]. I just thought maybe he was confused or something. The way he put it. It's kind of spooky now,' Dennis Wagoner said. Advertisement 6 The Hendricks County Courthouse where Vawter was killed. Google Maps Prosecutors, citing a 'public safety interest,' now want Pettis to appear remotely for all future court hearings and have requested the court deny the public access to his records, according to CBS4Indy. They argued that giving the public access to Pettis's court dates could 'create the opportunity for further attempts at vigilantism or reprisals,' imperiling the lives of other inmates, deputies and passersby. Advertisement Indiana State Police is conducting an investigation into the shooting at the request of the Hendricks County Sheriff. Cameras in the area captured the shooting, officials said. The two deputies who fatally shot Vawter were placed on administrative leave while the probe is ongoing.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Yahoo
'He was so young.' Boy, 3, becomes organ donor after Plainfield crash that killed his sister
Ares lived a short life. Only being able to experience three years on this Earth. His family will always remember him as their little Ares, the boy who could bring joy to any room he entered. And to another family, Ares will be remembered as the hero who saved their child's life. On Wednesday, Ares received a Walk of Honor at Riley Hospital for Children, a moment to commemorate Ares's life and to honor the decision to donate his organs to at least one of the 100,000 people waiting on the national organ transplant list. His family lined the hallway along with hospital staff and somberly honored Ares as he was transported for surgery to become an organ donor. About a dozen of Ares's family members gathered at the hospital. Many held each other and cried as they waited to see Ares one last time. "It should have been Ares who buried me, not me burying him," Mark Vawter, the boy's great-grandfather, told IndyStar. "He was so young." On Feb. 5, Ares was severely injured in a vehicle crash that killed his infant sister. For the past week, Ares remained inside Riley Hospital connected to a life support machine. Ares was surrounded by his family, hoping that his condition would improve. Unfortunately, it never did. Ares died on Feb. 12, 2025. Ares' father had just taken him and his baby sister Iris for a visit with their grandparents. Before that, the family had finished a checkup at the doctor for the 2-month-old. The family was traveling on U.S. 40 and Ronald Reagan Parkway in Plainfield on Feb. 5 when S'Doni Pettis, 25, was driving a vehicle reported stolen and fleeing Avon Police. He drove 90 mph into the family's red Ford Explorer, according to a probable cause for his arrest. The collision caused the SUV to catch fire. The children's father also was injured in the crash and has since been released from the hospital. Police at the scene of the crash said he was disoriented and smelled of marijuana, according to court documents. Pettis was arrested and indicted on eight counts connected to the deadly crash, including causing death while operating a vehicle and two counts of causing catastrophic injury while operating a vehicle. Pettis has pleaded not guilty and a jury trial is scheduled. He remained in the Hendricks County jail Thursday morning. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Boy, 3, becomes organ donor after Plainfield crash that killed his sister
