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42-year-old man dies after being shot Thursday night at Kansas City, Kansas, park

The Wyandotte Sheriff’s Office is investigating the killing of Howard Nichols, who was shot Thursday night in Edgerton Park at North Third Street and Edgerton Drive in Kansas City, Kansas. This Google Maps Street View image of the area is from 2023.
The Wyandotte Sheriff’s Office is investigating the killing of Howard Nichols, who was shot Thursday night in Edgerton Park at North Third Street and Edgerton Drive in Kansas City, Kansas. This Google Maps Street View image of the area is from 2023. Google Maps

A 42-year-old man died at the hospital after being shot Thursday night in Edgerton Park in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a spokesman for the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim was identified as Howard Nichols, said Capt. Michael Kroening with the sheriff’s office, which enforces laws in the county’s parks. Nichols was taken to a hospital with critical injuries, where he later was pronounced dead.

Deputies responded to reports of a shooting shortly after 9 p.m. at the park at North Third Street and Edgerton Drive in Kansas City, Kansas. There, they found Nichols suffering from gunshot wounds.

The investigation into the killing is ongoing, and there was no additional information available to be released, Kroening said. No suspect information was available.

The killing is the second homicide investigated by the sheriff’s office in the county parks this year. In late July, 18-year-old Branden Jamal Baskin of Kansas City, Kansas., was killed in a shooting in Klamm Park at 2515 N. 27th Street in Kansas City, Kansas. LaRon Jaka Belcher III, 21, was charged with first-degree murder in the teen’s death.

The sheriff’s office encourages anyone who saw or knows anything about the killing to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Robert A. Cronkleton
The Kansas City Star
Robert A. Cronkleton is a breaking news reporter for The Kansas City Star, covering crime, courts, transportation, weather and climate. He’s been at The Star for 36 years. His skills include multimedia and data reporting and video and audio editing. Support my work with a digital subscription
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