Ye’Kira Hollins and Tayronnia West (Wichita Police Dept.) and Passion Turner (KWCH/YouTube screenshot)
Two women in Kansas have been arrested for allegedly attacking and severely injuring a young girl by throwing some kind of “acidic liquid” directly into her face.
Ye’Kira Hollins and Tayronnia West, both 18, were taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with one count each of aggravated assault in the horrific attack on Passion Turner, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Detectives with the Wichita Police Department are still searching for a juvenile female suspect in connection with the attack that happened late last month.
According to a news release, officers at about noon on Sunday, May 26, responded to a 911 call regarding a disturbance in the 400 block of North Young Avenue. The victim — later identified as Passion Turner — was transported to a local hospital with second-degree burns to her face and neck that police said was “believed to be caused by a suspect throwing an acid liquid on the victim during a physical fight.”
While local news outlets have reported the victim being 17 years old, police in the news release said the victim of the acid attack was 18.
Immediately following the alleged incident, patrol officers as well as investigators with the department’s Felony Assault Unit began looking for two adult female suspects and one juvenile female suspect.
On June 5, 2024, Officers with the Patrol North Community Response Team located and arrested the two 18-year-old suspects, Hollins and West, in connection with the attack. The third suspect is still on the loose. Police described her as a 16-year-old Black female from Topeka, Kansas.
“As the Chief of Police, I want to make it unequivocally clear that our department has a zero-tolerance policy towards violence of any kind within our community,” Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said in a statement. “Our primary responsibility is to ensure the safety and well-being of every resident, and our entire agency is committed to taking all necessary actions to hold people accountable for violent actions such as these.”
The victim’s older sister, Paris Polite, spoke to Hutchinson, Kansas CBS affiliate KWCH about the attack on her sibling, saying that she knew her assailants, at least one of whom used to be her “best friend.”
“It was a battle between old best friends if you want to call it that,” Polite told the station. “They were childhood best friends and it just went too far.”
Polite also said that her sister having a history with the two suspects who have been arrested indicated that it was a preplanned attack which took place in front of the home of her sister’s friend and had drastic results for the victim.
“It was targeted. Her right side of her face and her neck. There’s kind of some droplets that got on her chest, and then you can see that it splashed over a little bit to this side,” Polite said, using her hand to indicate towards the left side of her face. “When she first saw herself, a lot of tears. It’s, um, it’s bad. She doesn’t look like herself.”
The victim’s family requested that news outlets refrain from publishing photographs of Passion Polite after the accident. A GoFundMe page has been setup to help pay for Passion Polite’s medical expenses.
“We do have insurance, but insurance will not cover any cosmetic surgeries that she may need as well as helping her to relocate. This is a devastating time and we are asking for help. Anything will help,” the fundraising page states.
Hollins and West are both currently being held in the Sedgwick County Jail. Their bonds were set at $150,000, records show.
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