Photo: Getty Images
A statue of baseball icon Jackie Robinson was cut off at the ankles before it was stolen from a public park in Kansas just days ahead of Black History Month.
On Thursday (January 25), Wichita police said the statue of Robinson, the first player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier, went missing in McAdams Park, per NBC News. The statue was cut off at the ankles, and all that remained Friday (January 26) were Robinson's feet.
Surveillance video shows two people carrying the statue in the dark.
“I’m frustrated by the actions of those individuals who had the audacity to take the statue of Jackie Robinson from a park where kids and families in our community gather to learn the history of Jackie Robinson, an American icon, and play the game of baseball,” Wichita police Chief Joe Sullivan said in a statement. “This should upset all of us.”
Sullivan noted that the statue was stolen just before Black History Month.
Before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues.
Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson called the statue theft “horrendous” and “disgusting.” Johnson noted the outrage among residents over the theft.
“Many people want to find those folks before law enforcement,” Johnson said. “So again, like the chief and the (district attorney) said, if you’ve got that statue, bring it here today. Now.”
The Wichita Metro Crime Commission is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for tips leading to the arrests of the theft(s) and $5,000 for tips that lead to the statue's recovery.
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