Kaitlyn Mahurin, 20, was shot and killed in the early hours of June 20 while inside her home in the 2600 block of Cypress Avenue in Kansas City. Family say the young woman was a mother to a 3-year-old boy.
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Family of Kaitlyn Mahurin, a 20-year-old woman shot and killed inside her Kansas City home earlier this week, say the young woman was a full-time mom who leaves behind a 3-year-old son.
Over the past few days, family members are still coming to grips with her sudden death, said Makayla Mahurin, her older sister. And, along with the grief, the killing presents a mystery for the family as they wonder who would want to harm the young mother, her sister de ella said.
“She was outgoing and friendly, and definitely didn’t deserve this. And my nephew did n’t deserve to lose his mom this young, ”said Makayla Mahurin, 21, who said she last communicated with Kaitlyn in April on her 20th birthday.
The elder sister, who is raising a toddler and a newborn son, said she wishes she had the chance to say more that day. Family members are scared, shocked and distraught by the killing, she said, as they seek answers from investigators and hope justice will soon be delivered.
“I broke down and cried when I found out, but that’s basically all the crying I’ve done so far,” she said, saying she is still in disbelief after she and her father learned of the news from another relative who saw it on TV. “But I know it’ll hit me one day.”
Kansas City police were dispatched to the residence in the 2600 block of Cypress Avenue, in the East Community Team South neighborhood, at 3:21 am Monday on a reported shooting.
Officers arrived to find Kaitlyn Mahurin in the kitchen with gunshot wounds to her chest and abdomen. She was pronounced dead on scene by emergency medical personnel roughly eight minutes later.
Police investigators reported finding apparent bullet holes in a window on the south side of the residence, according to a search warrant application filed in Jackson County Circuit Court. Bullet casings were also discovered in the grass just outside the window.
Mahurin’s killing marked the 73rd homicide Kansas City has recorded in 2022, according to data maintained by The Star. This comes after the city reached 157 in 2021, the second-highest number in the city’s history.
Kansas City police did not report any developments in the case as of Thursday evening.
Several people were inside the home when police arrived, court documents say. During interviews with police, none said they saw the shooting unfold and only one of the occupants — a juvenile — reported hearing gunfire.
On Thursday afternoon, members of the area anti-violence advocacy organization KC Mothers in Charge spent part of the day canvassing the neighborhood. Rosilyn Temple, the group’s founder, along with three other volunteers, visited the homes of neighbors to pass out pamphlets with instructions for submitting an anonymous tip.
“I think it’s just awful. In this community no one has stepped up and said anything (about) who killed this young lady. You know, something has to be done,” Temple told reporters near the residence Thursday afternoon.
“Do something to help this young lady’s family get some kind of closure. It won’t bring Kaitlyn back. But it’d get the monster or monsters off the street that took this young lady’s life from her in her home from her where she should have been safe, ”Temple added.
Family of the young woman started a GoFundMe webpage seeking donations for funeral arrangements. It had generated $555 toward its $10,000 goal as of Thursday evening.
Kansas City police are asking anyone with information about the killing to contact homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS (8477). A $25,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.
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