What did Samantha Thrasher do? Search underway for woman accused of shooting a father and 7-year-old at Missouri hotel

On May 20, 2023, Kansas City woman Samantha Thrasher allegedly shot a father and a 7-year-old in a non-fatal shooting at a Missouri hotel. On Thursday, June 1, State authorities announced that 24-year-old Thrasher is currently evading the law. The suspect has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

According to KSHB, the violence erupted from a dispute between Samantha Thrasher and her two alleged victims. Thrasher reportedly became enraged and reacted violently after she was not given a refund. Officials believe that the suspect was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The shooting currently remains under investigation. Authorities described Thrasher as 5-foot-4 and 100 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. She was last seen driving a brown 2003 Chevy Tahoe. She is considered armed and dangerous, and officials have told the public not to approach her.

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The timeline of the allegations against Samantha Thrasher

As per KCTV 5, the incident occurred at 11.52 pm on May 20 at a hotel in the 700 block of NW South Outer Road in Blue Springs, Missouri. The arrest documents indicated that the confrontation escalated after someone had complained to Thrasher about her driving.

Before the incident, witnesses claimed that Samantha Thrasher had driven her car onto a curb and nearly struck a group of people. According to KSHB, subsequently, Thrasher asked a woman for a refund. The woman told Thrasher she could not provide a refund as she was not a manager.

Witnesses claimed that at one point, Thrasher had a verbal altercation with the woman before she began violently pulling her hair. A male employee, identified as the 36-year-old shooting victim, supposedly tried to intervene. In response, Thrasher is alleged to have repeatedly struck him with a closed fist.

She then proceeded to return to her vehicle to retrieve a handgun. Upon re-entering the hotel, Thrasher shot the 36-year-old man multiple times before shooting the 7-year-old girl once.

As reported by KMBC, surveillance cameras show that the 7-year-old child was most likely shot accidentally. At the time of the shooting, the child was leaning on the back of a couch in the hotel lobby. One of the bullets, which officials believe was intended to strike the 36-year-old, missed the target and hit the 7-year-old in the elbow. Soon after, Thrasher fled the scene.

Authorities reported that the male victim is in ICU and cannot speak. The 7-year-old will require reconstructive surgery on her elbow. She also needed to undergo a separate surgery to remove couch-stuffing material from her body.

While police believe that Samantha Thrasher may have acted alone, they suspect another adult and child were in her SUV at the time of the incident. The shooting remains under police investigation.