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The Wichita Fire Department responded to a
report of a fire in a trash can at a park early on Tuesday and
after putting out the blaze, fire fighters discovered pieces of
the statue.
"Unfortunately, the statue is beyond repair," Andrew Ford, a
public information officer for the Wichita Police Department,
said in an email.
"The WPD is still actively investigating the theft of the statue
and has already interviewed over 100 people to try and identify
those responsible."
The statue was taken from Wichita's McAdams Park just after
midnight on Thursday. It was cut just above Robinson's shoes and
hauled off in a truck.
"Our community is devastated," Wichita police said on social
media at the time of the theft.
After playing for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues,
Robinson became the first Black man to play in the major
leagues. The statue commemorated that accomplishment.
Robinson was famous for overcoming racial hatred in a widely
segregated society. As a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was
a six-time All-Star and won a World Series title in 1955.
After retiring from baseball, the Georgia native became active
in the U.S. civil rights movement.
He died in 1972 and was posthumously awarded the Presidential
Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Toby
Davis)
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