‘I hear her gasping’: Friend of woman killed in bus stop shooting tried to help her

By Norman Seawright

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — A mother in Louisville is grappling with the trauma of witnessing her friend being fatally shot while they were walking their children to the bus stop.

The tragedy unfolded in front of several children, leaving the community in shock.

Kendra LaRue, who was at the scene, described the chaos and fear during the shooting.

“My first reaction is children,” she said. “I screamed, I yelled, I made everybody get down. I have children running this way, children running to the Y. Children running over there, right along with my daughter and a couple of our friends, and then my second reaction is to the person who is on the ground.”

LaRue said she is no stranger to gun violence but had never experienced it so personally.

“To actually be in the midst of it and actually seeing someone hit the ground that I knew, this is the first time,” she said.

The victim, whose name LaRue did not know in full, was a friend. As LaRue recounted the events, she revealed how the memory of the shooting continues to haunt her.

“Every time I close my eyes, I see her, and I hear her breath. I hear her gasping for air,” she said.

One of LaRue’s greatest concerns is for the children who witnessed the violence, particularly her friend’s daughter, who is best friends with her own child.

“I don’t know how I’m going to explain to her child when she gets home,” LaRue said. “But she’s not here. And it’s obviously—I’m here for the children because I have one myself.”

LaRue also expressed frustration with the lack of meaningful action from community leaders and law enforcement. She called for them to engage more directly with the neighborhood.

“There will never be a full picture if you don’t get inside of the heart of the community to figure it out,” she said. “If you don’t do that, you won’t know. Just get out of your car, talk to the people, walk around, see the neighborhood, know the people. So that way we can be able to trust you. Because as of right now, no one trusts anything that comes out of you guys.”

She emphasized the importance of listening to children, who she said are in critical need of support.

“The children most definitely need us more than anything, especially the primary ages from 12 to 18. They need us right now,” she said.

As LaRue tries to process the trauma, her thoughts remain with the children who were caught in the crossfire of the violence.

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