May I re-introduce you to someone who I have reconsidered to be a friend of the ArrowheadOne family: Brandon Chester. We have had our painful differences but Mr. Chester has made reparations suitable for a return. I hope you can accept his enlightenment and ability to gain from personal experience stemming from a deeper and more heartfelt perspective. -Laddie Morse

The Increase of Crime in Our City:

A Personal Perspective

by Brandon Chester

How does a typical morning start for a “normal” person? We wake up and let a deep sigh out, turn the coffee pot on, hop in the shower and all that jazz. Usually at some point during this process we take the time to turn on the news. We hear the latest about politics and various other subjects. If you reside in the state of Missouri, you may typically watch in disbelief about the increase of homicides that are happening all too frequently.

Just to break down some of the numbers in the year 2015: the Kansas City Police Department reported a total of 58 homicides with 20 being cleared. Currently, in the month of October, Kansas City has reported 98 homicides with 38 of them being solved. I’m going to state the obvious, that Kansas City has nearly doubled the number of homicides from 2015 to 2016. Usually, we give the occasional head-shake at such violence and we go on about our day as usual. Until one morning you wake up and you recognize the face of a victim. It’s someone that you grew up with and have known as an adolescent. It hits you like a ton of bricks and this affects you dramatically. Knowing that people you know have been struck with such a tragedy, it makes your heart heavy. Hearing about what happened makes you weep harder. I would like to warn everyone that this story will make the toughest man or women cry.

On the night of the October 16th, Whitney Gray was heading home accompanied by her two sons at the ages of 3 and 6 months and another 16 year-old female passenger. Witnesses said that a road rage incident occurred between the two cars. The passenger threw a drink at the car that was tailgating Whitney’s minivan. The two passengers yelled at the man in the SUV that there were kids in car. The man in the SUV still took it upon himself to pull out a gun and fired at Whitney and everyone in the car. With multiple bullet holes in the windshield… Whitney was hit in the chest.

Fatally hit, Whitney pulled at the curb and got out of the car. Two men stopped and tried to help her. Whitney couldn’t speak but she pointed at the wound in her chest. One man took off his shirt applied pressure to the wound, the other frantically tried to give her CPR. “I just held her hand and said come back to us, don’t go you are going to be fine, you are going to be okay, help is on the way,” said Spencer Warren. Whitney’s oldest son could be heard from the car screaming, “Mama, Mama, Mama…” but he watched his mother pass away.

Whitney was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her brother Dylan Gray rushed to the scene to find out the horrendous news. “She was an amazing person. She was the best mom I knew,” said Dylan Gray, Whitney’s brother. “Just full of joy. Just happy.” Balloons now mark the spot where this awful tragedy happened. Dylan was asked what was she doing? “Doing nothing. Driving home,” said Dylan Gray. “I’m angry. It doesn’t make sense.” He later went on to say that the 3-year-old is in shock and that the youngest is too young to comprehend what type of tragedy this was. Everyone’s life dramatically changed over a pointless act of rage to someone that was so nice and caring.

Whitney also leaves behind 5 siblings.

Tuesday morning police apprehended the 39-year-old male that was driving that white SUV. He was 700 miles away in South Dakota. He is now being charged with second-degree murder and faces 10 years-to-life in prison. He is currently awaiting extradition back to Kansas City while in custody. The family said that the man was unknown to them.

Just one month prior to Whitney’s death, she was interviewed by local news stations about a murder in her own neighborhood. A 16-year-old male was walking a female home. Whitney heard gunshots outside of her home, and said,

“Normally my kids are out here playing, so we were kind of freaked out. They were going to homecoming and they were really close, and he was walking her home.”

My heart goes out to the family of Whitney Gray. The apprehension of the man that committed Whitney’s murder only does so much to comfort the family. Nothing can be done or said to bring this innocent girl back. She was a great person that did not deserve this at all.

I’d like to encourage everyone reading to do whatever he or she can to help with this tragedy. Please pray for her family. Share this story. Donating what you can to her fund which will help pay for funeral expenses and leave the remainder for her kids here:

Whitney Gray’s GoFund Me page

We sometimes question God’s will and plan for some of us. It’s hard to imagine that his will includes something as tragic as this. It can be tough at times to keep the faith when the pain you’re feeling is unbearable. I hope that those who know Whitney come to be comforted that she is in heaven looking over all of us.

I want everyone that reads this to take into consideration how sudden life can change for anyone. Hug your loved ones and tell them how much you love them. Avoid as many pointless quarrels you have with the people you love because life is too short for any of that. Live every day to love and laugh with the people you choose to be around. Do what you can to be kind to others even if they are not kind to you. Be the type of person that doesn’t harbor hate in their heart because, nothing will ever come of it but more pain.

I’d like to thank anyone and everyone for reading this. I’d like to give a big thanks to Laddie Morse for allowing me to share Whitney’s story. I hope that people all across the nation will help in any way they can to spread this story in hopes that it leads to assisting the family: a Facebook post, a Twitter share, a prayer, or a donation (any size, even the smallest ones add up). It would be greatly appreciated with all of my heart that you would do this small favor for a complete stranger.

Cherish the memories we are blessed with, to remind us of the people we’ve lost. Never lose hope, never lose faith, and never stop loving. Rest in paradise Whitney Gray: you are gone but you will never be forgotten.

Associated Articles:

FOX News: 3-year-old cries ‘Mama, Mama, Mama’ as he watches mom die in suspected Independence road rage

Two men who tried to save Independence mom say they can’t get her off their mind

39-year-old Independence man charged

Editor’s Note: What Brandon Chester has not shared with you is that… Whitney Gray was a friend of his. Our hearts go out to Brandon and his friend’s family. May grace be found in its time.