KC police locate second driver in fatal hit-and-run
Kansas City police have located the driver of the second car that allegedly fatally struck Kita Bee, 46, in East Kansas City last week.
A proud Black transgender woman, Bee was known as an informal mentor to other trans women of color in her community, giving advice on how to navigate an often unfriendly climate on the streets of Kansas City.
Bee was hit by two cars on the night of Friday, May 3, as they drove west on Independence Avenue near Independence Plaza, according to police. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital later that night The driver of the first car, a silver Chevrolet Silverado, has not been identified by police.
Police are no longer searching for others involved in the crash, said Capt. Jacob Becchina, a spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department. The department classified Bee’s death as a pedestrian fatality hit-andrun accident on Monday night, and publicly identified her as the victim.
The known driver has not yet been charged, Becchina said, as police will involve a prosecutor to figure out appropriate criminal charges. Some friends and family members have expressed concern online that Bee’s death was caused by foul play, or that someone pushed her into the road.
Along with reconstructing the crash and gathering forensic evidence, Becchina said, the department plans to interview people involved, as well as eyewitnesses.
In posts shared online, Bee’s sister Raynisha described Bee as an entertainer with a bold personality. Kita and Raynisha’s mother, with whom both sisters were close, passed away earlier this year.
“She loved to sing, dance, perform to make you happy, smile, or laugh,” Raynisha wrote on social media posts shared by nonprofit KC Transformations.
Bee had previously survived several serious injuries, including another hit-and-run earlier this year, said Kris Wade, who knew Bee for nearly two decades. At the time of her death, Bee had secured stable housing and was looking into getting an
apartment, said Wade, who is the executive director of peer support nonprofit, The Justice Project.
In confirming Bee’s identity, KCPD updated their use of pronouns, correctly referring to her as a woman. The department previously misgendered Bee as male in initial reports from the scene of the accident.
Just over four months ago, Raytown police similarly misgendered Amber Minor, a Black transgender woman, while investigating her murder. Minor was found laying in a driveway on 77th Terrace on Christmas Eve 2023, with a fatal gunshot wound.
Bee’s death was the 39th fatal vehicle crash in Kansas City this year, according to KCPD.
It could take several weeks before charges in the case are finalized, Becchina said. Meanwhile, friends, family and advocates continue to advocate for safer conditions for Black transgender women in Kansas City and in Missouri.
“We are in the most horrible state in the country, pretty much, to be a queer individual,” Ward said. “... We have an epidemic of queer murders.”
Some in the city’s closeknit queer community of color are mourning multiple friends, including Bee and Minor. Minor’s close friend Aerrion Burnett, as well as Brianna Hill, both Black transgender women, were shot and killed in Kansas City in 2020 and 2019.
About half of all trans and genderqueer people murdered in the United States are Black transgender women, according to the Human Rights Campaign.