Maria Pike and Baby Destinii: Shot by Police During a Mental Health Call

The officer who fired the shots that killed Maria Pike and her 2-month-old daughter, Destinii Hope, had been involuntarily terminated from his previous law enforcement job just 11 months into his tenure at a police department in Napa, Idaho, before being hired by the Independence Police Department in Missouri. That detail sits at the center of a wrongful death lawsuit that has since ended in a nearly $6 million settlement.

Maria Pike was 34 years old when she died. Her twin sister later described her as a loving mother who enjoyed being outdoors and cooking traditional Russian food. After giving birth to Destinii, Pike had been struggling with postpartum depression. In one of their last conversations, she told her twin sister that the symptoms would hit her out of nowhere.

The Call for Help

When police were called to Pike's apartment, her family expected the situation would end with an arrest and access to mental health care. A mental health worker was brought in for the initial response, which aligned with growing efforts across the country to pair officers with crisis professionals for exactly these kinds of calls.

But according to the family's civil lawsuit, that mental health worker was not inside the apartment when the shooting occurred. Records show police had visited Pike's Independence apartment 13 times in the two years before her death. The officers on scene the day she died spent 11 minutes trying to speak with her and called for backup from a Crisis Intervention Team officer.

Four Shots, Two Lives

One of the two officers present said he was unable to move away and fired four shots. Both Maria and Destinii were struck. According to the family's lawsuit, Destinii was shot once in the head and survived for several minutes after the shooting, gasping, choking, and letting out faint cries before she died.

The Jackson County prosecutor reviewed the case and declined to file criminal charges against the officer. The decision drew significant attention given the circumstances: a postpartum mother in crisis, a mental health worker who had been on scene, and an officer with a prior involuntary termination on his record.

What the Settlement Confirmed

The City of Independence reached a settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit. Maria Pike's parents are set to receive $2.945 million. Destinii's father, Mitchell Holder, will receive the same amount, bringing the total settlement to $5.89 million.

The apartment complex where the shooting took place held a vigil for Maria and Destinii and provided counseling for residents in the aftermath. Pike's twin sister has continued to speak publicly about her sister's life, her struggle, and what the family had hoped would happen when they made that call for help.