KANSAS CITY, Kan. -The family of Graciela Olivas, who was killed on February 17 when a car fleeing police crashed into her vehicle, said it has hired attorneys to investigate the incident.
The family said it has hired attorneys from the law firm of Shamberg, Johnson & Bergman to investigate the death of the 62-year-old woman.
News of the investigation comes only two days after an 8-year-old girl died after the vehicle she was riding in was struck by another suspect fleeing Kansas City, Kan., Police. Four people have died in the past year in cases involving police.
“We are heartbroken for the family of Jasmine Rodriguez, another life lost to a KCK police chase,” the Olivas family said in a statement. “First it was our beloved mother, Graciela Olivas. Now less than two months later, an 8-year-old little girl. In both cases, KCK police were chasing a traffic offender. With our mother, the offender did not use his turn signal properly. With young Jasmine, the offender was pulled over for a seat belt violation. In both cases, innocent lives were needlessly endangered and taken from us too soon.”
The suspect in the Olivas case, Christopher Bradley Stewart, 28, has been charged with first-degree murder. The suspect in the Rodriguez case, Tyrone Murphy, 27, is in police custody.
Kansas City, Kan., Police announced on Thursday that the department will revise its policies on when to engage someone in a high-speed pursuit with the public’s safety in mind. She said the department will temporarily suspend most cases except in cases of a serious felony.