A pregnant Black woman was shot multiple times by a police officer in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday, an incident that was caught on camera by officers and civilians present at the scene. Law enforcement officials have since pledged full transparency as they investigate the incident.

Last week, Leonna Hale was traveling in a vehicle alongside her boyfriend when it was stopped by Kansas City Police (KCPD) officers. According to the police, the KCPD stopped the car because they believed it matched the description of a stolen vehicle in an armed carjacking that was reported earlier in the evening.

Hale’s boyfriend reportedly jumped out of the car and ran away, leaving Hale with the officers. An eyewitness said that Hale tried to tell the officers that there was a gun in the car and she shouted that she was pregnant after they ordered her to get on the ground.

At one point in the encounter, Hale turned to run away but she was quickly hit by what the eyewitness said was five rounds fired by an officer. The officer has not yet been identified.

In a video shared with the Kansas City Star, Hale can be seen lying on the ground with her hands behind her back with what appeared to be blood on her clothing. An officer then walks up and proceeds to handcuff her before rushing her to the hospital, where she remains in stable condition.

But this version of events has been contested by members of the law enforcement community. Four days after the shooting, a sergeant in the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the agency tasked with investigating the incident, said that Hale was holding a handgun in her hand. KCPD officers say they recovered a pistol near the vehicle after the incident.

In a comment to the New York Post, a spokesperson for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, which is also investigating, stressed that they “don’t believe she was pregnant.”

Amid the still unfolding events, the interim KCPD chief Joseph Mabin told reporters that his officers "never want to be in these situations" because they create a "blight on our community" when they occur. However, Mabin promised that he wanted to assure the public that the investigation will be conducted honestly and transparently.

“The Highway Patrol will be investigating this incident,” Mabin said at a press conference. “We’re committed to being 100% transparent, and fully cooperating with the Highway Patrol.”

RELATED STORIES