Gun violence increases in Kansas City in April, with 42 people injured and 9 killed
Gun violence has increased this month in Kansas City, with the number of shootings surpassing those of previous months this year and April of 2020.
Fifty-one people have been shot this month in the city, according to numbers provided by the Kansas City Police Department and data tracked by The Star. Nine of the victims were killed.
The problem of gun violence in Kansas City received national attention over the weekend after a reporter at KCUR was shot and killed Friday and four people were shot near the 18th and Vine District.
The number of nonfatal shootings, which are far more numerous than homicides, rose in April, reaching 42 as of Sunday, according to police data. There were 35 nonfatal shootings in January, 32 in February and 35 in March.
During April 2020, Kansas City had recorded 39 nonfatal shootings and eight homicides by this date. By the end of the year, the city set a record for homicides.
Ken Novak, a criminal justice professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City who studies policing and crime prevention, said he has become pessimistic about changing the culture of gun violence in Kansas City.
Novak said the city’s problems can be traced to Missouri’s relaxed gun laws, which contribute to the volume of gun possession in the city.
The guns, he said, cause interpersonal conflicts, arguments and fights to become more dangerous and violent, which breeds retaliation. That, in turn, leads to more people possessing firearms to protect themselves.
The dynamic results in a vicious cycle, Novak said, that can be very difficult to break.
“As good of a policy or program that we can come up with, until we wrap our heads around recognizing the comfort level that Missourians have with firearms, it’s going to have limited impact,” Novak said.
“Hopefully we can start thinking about the next generation,” he said. “Not to completely give up at this point, but the best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago. The second best time is today.”
So far this year in Kansas City, 144 people have been shot and survived. The city has recorded 49 homicides. At this time last year, there had been 157 nonfatal shootings and 50 homicides, according to the police department and data maintained by The Star.
Resources, Novak said, should be focused on high-risk people in high-risk places, engaging in high-risk behavior. And conflict resolution skills should be introduced to school-age children.
Shootings this month include a double homicide, a 14-year-old who was fatally shot April 17 in the Northland, and a triple shooting Friday.
It was also on Friday that Aviva Okeson-Haberman was struck by a bullet while in her apartment in the 2900 block of Lockridge Avenue, KCUR reported.
The 24-year-old journalist joined the station in 2019 and was about to start a new role with the Kansas News Service, which is based at KCUR.
At the scene of a shooting Sunday night at 19th and Vine that left one person dead and three others injured, Kansas City police spokeswoman Officer Donna Drake called the violence “inexcusable.”
“There is no reason for this,” she said. “People should be able to come out and enjoy their evening and not have it end with someone losing their life in senseless gun violence.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas said on social media that he was disappointed and angered to hear about the shooting.
“Too many have been impacted just this weekend, this year, and in recent years. Praying for the victims, continuing to work to see an end to this epidemic,” he posted.
Kansas City ended last year with a record 182 homicides, according to data maintained by The Star.
The number of nonfatal shootings has risen in past years. Kansas City recorded 450 in 2018, 491 in 2019 and 630 in 2020, data from the police department showed.
Last fall, the city introduced a four-pronged approach aimed at stemming crime and violence. The framework includes prevention, intervention, clearance and administrative reforms.
Star reporter Anna Spoerre contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 26, 2021 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Gun violence increases in Kansas City in April, with 42 people injured and 9 killed."
