On the evening of October 17, 2014, in the south side of Kansas City, Missouri, a tragic act of violence claimed the life of a young child. Angel Hooper, a six-year-old African American girl, had visited a 7-Eleven convenience store at 10615 Blue Ridge Boulevard with her father and a family friend. Shortly after 7 p.m., as they exited the store and walked through the parking lot, gunshots rang out from a passing white Pontiac Grand Prix.
The gunfire was not intended for the child or her father but was instead aimed at individuals in another vehicle parked nearby. Angel was struck in the head by a bullet during the volley. Emergency responders rushed her to a nearby hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead later that night.
The investigation revealed that the drive-by shooting was the culmination of a dispute that had occurred earlier that day. Two groups had been involved in an altercation, and the occupants of the white Pontiac were targeting a stolen black Mazda parked at the convenience store. The individuals in the Mazda were believed by the shooters to be associated with the earlier conflict. Angel and her father were merely bystanders caught in the crossfire of a feud they had no connection to. The death of the first-grader, who was described by family as a sweet child who loved school and her younger brother, sparked outrage throughout the Kansas City community and led to candlelight vigils and calls for justice.
Police investigation eventually led to the identification and arrest of two suspects: Howard K. Chase IV, who was 19 at the time, and LeAndre Smith, who was 21. Both men were charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon. Authorities determined that while Smith and Chase were in the vehicle from which the shots were fired, they had intended to hit the occupants of the rival car. The bullet that struck Angel was a stray round from the barrage directed at the parking lot.
The legal proceedings for the two men resulted in significant prison time. LeAndre Smith pleaded guilty in February 2017 to second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of armed criminal action. He received a sentence of 23 years in prison. Howard K. Chase IV took his case to trial, where a Jackson County jury found him guilty of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon in April 2017. Following his conviction, a judge sentenced Chase to two consecutive life terms plus an additional 30 years, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life behind bars for his role in the senseless killing.
