Shocking body camera footage has captured the moment a Missouri mom holding her baby lunged at cops with a huge kitchen knife, before both were shot dead. The officers were called to a reported family assault, according to New York Post.
The video shows cops initially talking to the mom, 34-year-old Maria Pike, calmly. Pike held her two-month-old daughter Destinii Hope as she stood inside a closet at her home in Independence.
What does the footage show?
The bodycam footage does not show many words exchanged. However, the officers repeatedly asked Pike, who was visibly upset, to put down the baby, according to the Independence Police Department (IDP).
“The repeated attempts failed, and she exited the closet, walked past the officers, and sat on the bed next to the nightstand,” the department said.
Officers continued to talk to Pike while her husband, who is Hope’s father, sat shirtless on the bed. 11 minutes into the video, Pike grabbed a large knife from a bedside table and lunged toward a cop. “Woah!” a male police officer gasped as she threatened. Pike then turned to the officer whose camera recorded the incident, holding the knife over her head. Throughout the horror, her baby remained in front of her.
“She retrieved the concealed large kitchen-style knife and charged at officers, while still holding the child,” the police department said. “As a result, one officer fired at the female and both she and the infant sustained fatal injuries.”
The officer involved in the shooting has not been publicly identified. No further details have been shared about what happened after the video froze.
The three officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave. “The Independence Police Department has been and will continue to be as transparent as legally permitted,” the department said. “IPD fully understands the demand surrounding the events of that day and we will continue to fully cooperate with the outside investigation being conducted by the Police Involved Investigation Team.”
