Family seeks support after KC area sports reporter, Chiefs fan killed in I-29 shooting
A fundraiser has been created to support the family of a Kansas City area man who was killed in a shooting on Interstate 29 in Platte County Friday.
Family of Dennis Andrew Sharkey Jr., 50, said he was a beloved son, cousin and friend. He was also a dedicated caretaker for his mother, the GoFundMe fundraiser said. He was also an avid Chiefs fan who loved Arrowhead, and his family plans to gather there near where they like to tailgate to remember him, a family member said.
“Dennis’s passing has left his mom not only emotionally shattered but also facing immense financial burdens,” family wrote in the fundraiser description. “He was her rock, her caretaker, and her provider.”
Sharkey was a sports reporter for a local newspaper, the Platte County Citizen, where he primarily covered high school sports, according to the newspaper. The newspaper issued a statement on Facebook Saturday after the sheriff’s office identified him as the victim.
“The Platte County Citizen staff are saddened by the loss of Dennis Sharkey, the Citizen’s sports reporter, who died by homicide Friday night,” the newspaper wrote on Facebook.
Donations from the GoFundMe will go on to support funeral costs and help with living expenses for Sharkey’s mother, the fundraiser said.
A few days before he was killed, Sharkey’s mother also lost her husband, the GoFundMe said.
Sheriff’s office asks for help
As of Monday, it is still unclear what led to the shooting.
Kansas City police officers responded to the area of I-29 and NW 72nd Street after a vehicle was seen running off the road. They found a vehicle on the southbound side of the highway, down an embankment and resting against a fence on the outer road, according to initial police reports.
Police found Sharkey with a gunshot wound in his car. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A preliminary investigation indicated the shooting likely occurred while Sharkey was traveling south on I-29 near NW 72nd street, said Jake Becchina, a spokesman with the Kansas City Police Department.
As authorities continued to investigate Saturday, it was determined that the shooting happened outside the city limits of Kansas City. KCPD turned the investigation over to the Platte County Sheriff’s Office, according to a news release from the agency Saturday.
The shooting closed part of Interstate 29 Saturday as authorities canvassed the area for evidence and sought witnesses to the shooting.
The Platte County Sheriff’s Office asks anyone who was in the area of I-29 between Barry Road and Northwest 72nd Street Friday evening and heard or saw anything to call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.
