A woman and her daughter have been fatally shot by the mother’s abusive husband.
The victims have been named as Penny Smith, 50, and her daughter Kristy C. Thow, 29, of Shawnee, a city in Johnson County, in the US state of Kansas.
Both of them were taken to hospital, where Kristy died hours later, and Penny died a few days after the shooting.
Both had allegedly been shot by the mum’s 51-year-old husband Christopher Smith, on Thursday, 18th May, according to Kansas City Police Department.
A number of children are said to have witnessed the shooting. They were reportedly in a van parked outside the family home.
The alleged shooter was found dead by police who responded to the scene after reports of gunshots at around 11pm.
Christopher Smith had apparently shot himself dead, according to the police.
They added that a third victim of the horrific shooting was treated at a local hospital before being discharged.
She was later named as Yuna Thow. Her current relationship with the other victims is currently unclear.
The Kansas City Police Department said in a statement on 22nd May obtained by Newsflash: “A second victim in the May 18 shooting in the 2700 block of North 123rd St. has now died.
“Penny Smith, 3/2/1973, a resident of the home, died yesterday, Sunday, May 21, at an area hospital. Her daughter, 29-year-old, Kristy C. Thow, of Shawnee, died from her injuries at an area hospital shortly after the shooting. A third victim was treated at an area hospital and has now been released.
“The suspect, Christopher Smith, 7/11/1971, a resident of the home and husband of victim Penny Smith, was pronounced deceased on scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.” (sic)
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched in a bid to raise money towards Thow’s surviving daughter’s university fund.
The GoFundMe summary said: “Hi, my name is Melissa Dennis and I want to tell you of a tragic night in Kansas City, KS that took the life of a beautiful mother, loving daughter and my niece Kristy Thow, 29 of Shawnee, KS last Thusday May 18th, 2023
“Kristy was shot multiple times protecting the life of her sister and her mom, my sister, from a crazed domestic abuser. My sister, Penny, and Kristy’s little sister, both are fighting for their lives in the hospital as I write this heart wrenching story.”
The GoFundMe summary also said: “Kristy is survived by her daughter Camilla. Kristy was a single mom. raising Camilla and helping raise her sisters children. She had a heart of gold and lived life to the fullest! She will be missed.
“We are asking for your kindness to help Camilla with college and insure she can live her life as comfortably as possible. My heart is broken knowing she will never have her mom to guide her, provide for her or hold her ever again.” (sic)
And an update said: “On May 21, 2023, my dear sister Penny lost her battle at 4:05pm. She leaves behind two beautiful daughters Abbie and Rainie in addition to her surviving daughter Chelsea and three grandchildren. To help support Penny’s family during this difficult time, we have updated our Gofund to help support the surviving members of Penny’s precious family.”
At the time of writing, the GoFundMe had raised USD 3,430 (GBP 2,768) raised of USD 50,000 (GBP 40,360) target.
The investigation is ongoing.
