Family of KC homicide victim makes plea to end gun violence

Relatives of a 28-year-old man found fatally shot Wednesday at 57th Street and Bales Avenue made an urgent plea on Friday:

“We have got to stop this ongoing thing of killing each other and not caring about life.”

On Wednesday, police responding to a shooting call located the body of Antonio C. Hughes outside a residence. Hughes was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Antonio was an amazing young man,” said his aunt, Terri Hughes Harrison. “He had a big heart and an incredible sense of humor. He had a lot of love from a lot of people. He is going to be missed very, very much.”

Investigators continued Friday to search for clues and witnesses in the city’s 45th homicide in 2017, compared with 38 killings reported at the same time last year.

Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Hughes was born and raised in Kansas City and graduated from Paseo Academy in 2007. He was the father of two, an 8-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl.

“He was doing things to get his life on track; he was doing the right thing,” Harrison said. “He was on the right path.”

Recently, Hughes had been working with his father and performed other tasks.

Relatives said they do not know the details that led to Hughes’ slaying.

“We are just waiting for answers and hoping,” Harrison said. “We don’t want anyone to be silent.”

Harrison said the shooting happened at a time of day where residents on Bales Avenue may have seen or heard something that would help investigators find those involved in the shooting.

“Somebody knows something,” she said. “It is imperative that they speak out. Because it is a matter of time before it could be their own family.”

On Thursday, neighbors said the shooting left them concerned. Residents said the gunfire rattled their neighborhood.

The shooting was part of the surge of gun violence that swept through Kansas City this week. On Thursday, police responded to three separate shootings.

Harrison said the family is having difficulty dealing with Hughes’ death.

“A person that was very valuable to his community has been taken away from us,” she said. “I want them to know that he was a father and he had a wonderful future ahead of him. He had goals and dreams. He was the son of two wonderful people.”

This story was originally published May 26, 2017 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Family of KC homicide victim makes plea to end gun violence."