KCK man charged with murder in shooting of woman at Independence Avenue apartment

A 31-year-old Kansas City, Kan., man has been charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of a woman early Thursday morning at an apartment in Kansas City.

Jackson County prosecutors have charged Derrick A. Williams with second-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Police identified the woman as Denise Gayle, 32, of Kansas City.

According to court records, Kansas City police were called to the apartment in the 2500 block of Independence Avenue shortly after 5 a.m. after a neighbor reported hearing eight or nine gunshots and the sound of screams.

The arriving officers encountered in front of the apartment building a naked and visibly upset Williams, who told officers about the dead woman inside the home.

“If you go upstairs, there’s a dead (expletive) up in there and I blew here (expletive) brains out,” the man told police, according to a police report.

Police believed Williams was under the influence of drugs. Officers found a handgun near the building. Inside the apartment, officers found the woman’s body and three small children hiding under a blanket. One of the children told police “He killed my mom.”

One of the children had a head injury and said “Derrick hit me with a gun,” according to police.

Bond was set at $300,000.

Williams has spent time in prison in Kansas after being convicted of identity fraud.

This story was originally published July 28, 2016 at 7:46 AM with the headline "KCK man charged with murder in shooting of woman at Independence Avenue apartment."