A Black Missouri mother was struck and killed during a shootout that occurred on a highway in Ferguson last week.
What We Know:
- According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Kristen Whitted, 46, was driving to visit a friend when she was killed by a Black man who allegedly had road rage issues.
- The tragedy occurred on Interstate 170, between Page Boulevard and Highway 40, at about 3 p.m. Several reports mentioned that two people in different vehicles were firing shots at one another. A stray bullet from Calvin Pittman’s weapon hit Whitted inside her SUV.
- Olivette Police Chief David Wolf mentioned at a press conference last Friday that it was a despicable random act of violence.
“By anybody’s standards, we did everything right. My sister did everything right,” said the victim’s brother, Fred Whitted, a community activist. “This act of aggression, this act of recklessness, of thoughtlessness, it took away my family.”
- Kristen operated as a community activist in Omaha. She was the oldest child of four, a new grandmother and mother of two. She was an IT expert and was registered in online classes to get her Master’s Degree in Computer Science.
- Surveillance cameras on the highway traffic signals could not be utilized to locate the suspects implicated in the deadly shooting, prompting the Whitted family to ask help from the public.
- The Post-Dispatch reported that a day after the shooting, a lead pointed authorities to Pittman, who is indicted with unlawful use of a weapon, murder, unlawful tampering with physical evidence, and armed criminal action.
- Police mention that they have proof to show Pittman was the driver and also the triggerman. It remains unclear if Pittman has entered a plea deal or retained an attorney. Police are still seeking the second driver, who reportedly fled the scene in a white or silver car.
A GoFundMe was created for Whitted’s daughter’s college fund, which has so far raised more than $30K out of the 200K goal.
