Two, including juvenile, injured in shooting outside North Kansas City High School
A shooting outside North Kansas City High School near the conclusion of a basketball game Saturday injured at least two people, according to city officials.
The shooting was reported on the east side of the building near the end of a game between North Kansas City and Staley high schools, according to an email sent to staff and families by the North Kansas City school district.
Kim Nakahodo, a spokesperson for North Kansas City, said two deputies from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office were at the basketball game as school resource officers when they heard a report of shots fired. North Kansas City police also responded immediately.
Police located a crime scene at the entrance to the school’s football field, where they found one victim with gunshot wound. That victim was taken to a hospital.
“Witnesses reported seeing someone running from the scene at that time,” Nakahodo said in a written statement. “We are unsure how many shooters were involved.”
Police later became aware of a second victim who is a juvenile. Both victims were initially listed in critical condition. The juvenile has since been upgraded to serious but stable, according to officials.
The school district had earlier said in its email to staff and families that as many as three people were receiving medical attention.
All guests were asked to stay indoors while law enforcement worked to clear the area.
Nakahodo said that as of around 8 p.m. that police were reviewing video, and that it was unclear how many people police were seeking. A large law enforcement presence remained outside the school Saturday evening, and officers could be seen searching in an area behind police tape.
One attendee at the game, who did not wish to be identified, said that in the celebration at the conclusion of the game, a man came in to the gym with an announcement that she had a hard time making out.
”They shooting, they shooting, they shooting,” she said, recalling the man’s message and the chaotic moments that followed.
”At first I thought I heard it wrong, because the crowd was already being loud,” she said. “Then when I seen the whole crowd push and people running in the locker rooms and people leaving their kids and stuff like that, I was like OK, it’s serious. It’s game time, I gotta get out of here.”
Another attendee, who also did not wish to be identified, recalled the moment: “Everybody had got up and started running. At first, I thought they were shooting inside, so I hit the jets, I ran.”
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas posted on social media following the shooting Saturday.
“Praying (again) after a metro area shooting,” Lucas said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Thinking of those impacted and our young people.”
“Wondering when we will do more to avoid these tragedies that keep breaking all our hearts,” he said in his post. “I’m ready, parents are ready, our city is ready.”
This shooting comes just two days after a mass shooting in Independence which killed a police officer and a civil process server attemption an eviction, and wounded two other officers.
Larry D. Acree, 69, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of Jackson County civil process server Drexel Mack, 41, and Independence police officer Cody Allen, 35. He is also accused of first-degree assault and armed criminal action, and additional criminal charges are expected.
Just over two weeks before that incident, another mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory rally killed Lisa Lopez-Galvan, 43, a mother and beloved local disc jockey, and injured two dozen others following a dispute.
Lyndell Mays, 23, of Raytown faces one charge each of second-degree felony murder and unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action in that case. Dominic M. Miller of Kansas City, 18, is also charged with one count each of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action.
Prosecutors previously charged two minors with “gun-related” crimes and resisting arrest in relation to the Chiefs’ rally shooting. Their names have not been released.
Officials are asking anyone with information, photos, and video of Saturday’s shooting to send them to Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS or 816-474-8477.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This story was originally published March 2, 2024 at 7:45 PM with the headline "Two, including juvenile, injured in shooting outside North Kansas City High School."
