Mel Gregory on the AP
In this photo provided by Mel Gregory, a statue of baseball legend Jackie Robinson is seen Sunday, April 18, 2021, in Wichita.
CNN
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A statue of Jackie Robinson that was stolen Thursday from a minor league baseball field in Wichita, Kansas, has been found in a dumpster at a different park, police said.
Wichita Police Department spokesman Andrew Ford said at a Tuesday news conference that officers responded to a call about a trash can on fire in Garvey Park early Tuesday morning.
“Shortly after putting out the fire, the fire department saw what appeared to be pieces of the Jackie Robinson statue, which is currently beyond repair,” Ford said at a news conference.
League 42, a non-profit It raised $50,000 for the life-size statue on the field, which offers low-cost baseball registration for kids, a CNN affiliate reported. Joint. The league was named after Robinson’s jersey number in honor of the legendary athlete. He broke the Major League color barrier As a black player. The theft happened just after midnight Thursday, police said.
The theft and arson are under investigation. On Monday, the police said they found one Truck It is believed to be related to theft.
“There will be an arrest, but we’ll make sure we have a strong case when we do,” Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said Tuesday.
Wichita City Councilman Brandon Johnson told CNN on Sunday that the statue was “a symbol of hope” in the community.
On Tuesday, Johnson described the discovery as “heartbreaking.”
“I hate to see that the statue is not in the same room,” he told reporters. “I want everyone to know that the monument can be rebuilt and that we don’t hesitate to make sure that for our community, for League 42, for the youth, that symbol of hope will only be lost for a short time.”
Travis Heying / Wichita Eagle / TNS / Zuma
A statue of baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson was stolen from a Major League 42 field in Wichita, Kansas.
League 42 will move forward with a statue of the late James Parsons with the same material, director Bob Lutz said at a news conference.
“Fortunately, the mold from the work is still functional, and the statue that will be displayed again at McAdams Park will be the work of John Parsons,” Lutz said.
A A GoFundMe was organized by Lutz. So far, he has raised more than $19,000 to replace the statue.