KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City couple has countless questions, after their daughter was found shot and left to die on the side of the road.
The deadly shooting happened Saturday in the Northland near 56th Street and the entrance ramp to I-29 South. Police are now searching for the person who pulled the trigger, killing 23-year-old Christina “Chrissy” Cunningham.
Cunningham’s family learned of the crime Sunday night, putting them in a state of shock and confusion.
“How could someone do something so horrific to my child?” wondered Kevin Brown, Cunningham’s father. “My child was 23 years old and had so much life to live… No one’s child deserves to die in such a horrific way.”
Cunningham’s mother, Serese Brown, adding, “I was stunned… I was stunned. It makes me wonder, did she suffer before she died? That`s what I want to know.”
Police believe someone who had been riding in the car with Cunningham shot her. They’re not sure if she crawled out of the car seeking help, or if she was pushed out. They also don’t know how that person left the scene.
Her parents told FOX 4 they didn’t know all of Cunningham’s friends and don’t know who she was with that night.
“It`s senseless, that`s all I can say,” her mom said. “Not Chrissy. I don`t see why.”
She continued, “What happened to conversation? What happened to love? What happened to unity? What happened to discussion and negotiation? What happened to all that?”
Chrissy was an honor student at Washington High School, where she was also in the ROTC. Her mom described by her mom as a “hard worker” who always had a job.
“She wanted to be the best she could be at anything she put her mind to,” Serese said. “She was determined. She was committed.”
Cunningham’s passion for life made news of her killing this weekend all the more difficult for her family to fathom.
“Chrissy was my baby,” Serese said. “Chrissy was supposed to be everything I wasn’t, you understand? So you know, it leaves… all my hopes and dreams have been dashed away.”
It was a loss one witness can’t imagine – a KCK man who saw Chrissy’s car that night with blinkers flashing and door open, making him think it was just someone with car trouble or a health issue who needed help.
“We turned around and we went back to be able to call 911, make sure that the person was okay and whenever we got there, the police officer was already there,” explained the man, who asked FOX 4 to omit his name, but told us he used to be a first responder.
He never saw the body but later learned what happened.
“I don`t know how to say it,” he said,” but it`s just wrong to see somebody go down like that. It`s cold-hearted. There`s the words out there, it`s plain, straight cold-hearted.”
He’s now praying for Cunningham’s parents.
“It’s sad,” the witness said. “I mean, somebody’s life that’s still long ahead of them, just it’s sad.”
Cunningham’s parents are now planning her funeral and relying on their faith in God to get through this.
“Whoever did this to my daughter, because I`m a praying man, I forgive them for it,” Kevin said. “But I want justice done.”
So far, police have not made any arrests and they are looking for any clues that might lead them to Cunningham’s killer. If you know anything, they’re asking you call Crime Stoppers at (816) 474-TIPS.