Laurie Whisler’s cigarette trembled between her fingers as she looked at the wreckage at the Family Dollar. Dressed in a gray shirt and beanie despite the sweltering Kansas City heat, she stood right outside the doors of the Valentine Apartments, bent over her walker and weeping.

Her long-term boyfriend, Larry Banks, had just died when the dollar store building off in midtown KC partially collapsed Sunday afternoon.

The Kansas City Fire Department responded to the reported building collapse in the 3700 block of Broadway Boulevard just after 2:45 p.m. Sunday. When crews arrived, they discovered part of the front facade of the Family Dollar building had collapsed.

“He would’ve been alive if they would’ve gotten to him,” Whisler said. “They got to that lady first, didn’t even try to hel

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