Woman arrives at KC fire station with gunshot injuries, dies at hospital
Update: Police later identified the woman as 26-year-old Melissa A. Brown.
A woman who showed up at a Kansas City fire station with gunshot injuries Sunday night later died at a hospital, police said.
Officers were dispatched to the 3500 block of Roberts Street in Kansas City around 7:45 p.m. when someone in the area reported hearing gunfire and notified police, Officer Alayna Gonzalez said.
The adult female victim whose age was not immediately known was driven to the fire station by a friend, who confirmed the shooting occurred outside a residence near Roberts Street, Gonzalez said. The woman was then transported by ambulance to a hospital and pronounced dead there.
Gonzalez said detectives have been interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence in the area.
“We have spoken to some people already who are helping give us a clearer picture of what transpired here this evening,” she said.
Police are investigating the shooting as a homicide. A person of interest has not been identified.
The killing is Kansas City’s 178th homicide of 2023, according to data maintained by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings. The city is experiencing its second-deadliest year on record and remains on pace to meet or exceed its mark for highest number of homicides in a year. In 2020, 182 people were killed.
“It’s very frustrating,” Gonzalez said of Kansas City’s violent crime rate. “We want our Kansas Citians to feel safe. … This is a loved one of somebody’s family that isn’t going to be around for Christmas.”
She said the community and police have been working together to address the “violent crime epidemic” but that “it’s hard to catch up.”
Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting Sunday night to contact homicide detectives directly at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information submitted anonymously to the TIPS hotline.
This story was originally published December 17, 2023 at 11:51 PM.
