Beloved Bible Study Teacher Shot in Head on Way Home From Prayer Meeting
A family and community are now grappling with heartbreak after Catherine Kennedy, a beloved Bible study teacher at the Church of St. Timothy in Escondido, California, was fatally shot in the head as she drove home from church during a gang crossfire Tuesday night.
"This was an innocent victim driving down the street we believe coming home from a church function and just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time," Escondido Lt. Justin Murphy told NBC San Diego.
Police say Kennedy, 55, was driving east on Grand Avenue in Escondido at about 9 p.m. when she was shot in the head. She lost control of her vehicle and subsequently crashed into an unoccupied, parked vehicle.
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Barbara Allen, 48, told The San Diego Union-Tribune that she was in her apartment when she heard four gunshots followed by the sound of a crash. She rushed outside and found the beloved Bible study teacher, who was also a youth leader, slouched over behind the wheel of her car. When medics arrived, Allen said, Kennedy still had a pulse but she later died at a local hospital.
Deborah Ware, Kennedy's sister, said her faith "meant everything to her." Kennedy and her husband, Kevin, got married in 2014, both were active at St. Timothy's.
"She was in a prayer group on Tuesday," Ware told the Tribune.
On Wednesday, a few dozen people reportedly gathered at the church for a private prayer service.
The church's Pastor, Father Fernando Ramirez, was so upset about Kennedy's murder he was unable to offer any comment to local media.
A spokeswoman told the Tribune, however, that "Cathy was one of the most wonderful people you ever want to meet."
Kennedy had worked for 22 years as a registered dental hygienist at Brilliant Dental in Escondido, and her colleagues shared their grief in a statement on Facebook.
"It is with a heavy heart that we share news of the passing of Cathy (de la Rosa) Kennedy. As you may have seen on the news today, she was the victim of a stray bullet during gang crossfire last night, Tuesday, March 7, as she drove home from church," the statement began.
"Cathy was a longtime member of our dental family. She worked at the very same chair here in the office for 22 years. She was passionate about making a difference in her patients' lives and everyone with whom she came in contact. ... She will be greatly missed by her daughter, Alicia, her husband, Kevin, mother, father, brothers and sisters and by all of us here. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers," the statement ended.
Escondido Police Chief Craig Carter said Kennedy's death was "a senseless tragedy" and his department would be cracking down on street gangs.
"We are altering our resources to address this," Carter said Wednesday. "If you are a gangster in the city of Escondido and you're contacted (by police) we're going to use the furthest extent of the law to make sure we deal with you."
Witnesses who saw the shooting and anyone with other information can call police detectives at (760) 839-4926 or (760) 839-4422, or leave an anonymous tip at 760-743-TIPS (8477).
