The statue of famed Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson that was stolen from a Wichita, Kansas, youth baseball park has been found destroyed, according to reports.
The Wichita, Kansas, Police reported on Jan 25 that the statue was broken off from its mounting outside the baseball diamond at McAdams Park. Police also shared a video that showed the thieves stealing the statue before driving off.
“We noticed it around noon today when I had left the building. I always look over at the Jackie statue, and I looked over today, and I didn’t notice it, or I couldn’t see it,” said park supporter Bob Lutz, according to KAKE-TV.
“This is a sacred place. This is a place where we honor a man who broke down barriers and did things that had never been done before,” Lutz added.
Now the statue has been found… or at least its remnants.
The bits and pieces of the statue were found on fire in Wichita on Jan. 30 at 8:40 a.m. Once the fire was doused, officials discovered the smashed remains of the statue.
This is all that's left of the Jackie Robinson statue. 😠 https://t.co/cgPGwb3jJe #KAKEnews pic.twitter.com/gp9snHmI3r
— KAKE News (@KAKEnews) January 30, 2024
The police department is still investigating the statue’s destruction and asking anyone with information about the theft to call Wichita police investigators at 316-268-4407.
Wichita council member Brandon Johnson says that he is trying to get the city to pay for a replacement statue to be erected at the park.
“We will continue to invest in this community, and this tragic incident will not remove that hope that we all have for the area,” Johnson said, according to TMZ Sports.
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