Katherine Bjorklund Obituary, Death;- The family of one of the individuals affected by a recent crime spree in Platte County has come forward to share their experience.
The series of criminal activities commenced on Thursday evening and extended into the early hours of Friday. A carjacking victim, who was also involved in a homicide and abduction incident, expressed gratitude for surviving the ordeal.
The alleged perpetrator, 43-year-old George Clyde Manning III, reportedly shot and killed a woman in Riverside on Thursday night after stealing her vehicle. Authorities identified the victim on Monday as 33-year-old Katherine Bjorklund.
Subsequently, a few hours later, Manning is said to have stolen a man’s truck, crashed it in the vicinity, and then shot and killed a 12-year-old boy named Giuliani Calderon, injuring his mother, Mercedes, at a residence located in the 4400 block of NW 50th Street.
Manning then purportedly abducted his 5-year-old daughter, prompting an Amber Alert. Fortunately, the child was later returned safely to her family. Manning was ultimately shot and killed by law enforcement and Homeland Security agents around 7:30 on Friday morning.
Giuliani was a seventh-grade student at Walden Middle School within the Park Hill School District. The school district communicated the following message to families on Sunday evening:
“Dear Walden Families,
We wish to inform you of some distressing news that we have been addressing within our school community over the past three days. We have learned of the tragic passing of one of our Walden students. While it is incredibly difficult to articulate the gravity of this loss, we feel it is our duty to share this information with you as part of our school family.
One of our seventh-grade students passed away on Friday. As you may have seen in local news reports, this student’s death is connected to the Amber Alert and the ensuing violence that occurred on Friday morning. Our staff has been processing this news and supporting one another. We have implemented various support measures for both our staff and students.
In light of this, we would like to offer some guidance that may be beneficial for you and our students in the coming days and weeks.” In addition to the above message, mental health resources were also provided. A family friend has also expressed their condolences.
