Man released from custody after Independence double homicide as investigation continues
A man taken into custody following a double homicide in an Independence home Sunday has been released while the investigation continues, Independence police said Wednesday.
The circumstances around the deaths of two men at a home in the 9700 block of East Winner Road remain unclear three days later.
Officer Bryan Conley, a spokesman for the Independence Police Department, said he could not answer questions from The Star about the incident, citing the ongoing investigation.
No charges had been filed as of Tuesday.
Jazzlyn Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, said the case was still under investigation.
Police identified the two men killed as Steven Johnson, 41, of Excelsior Springs, and Ernest Naler, 35, of Kansas City.
Officers were called to the home on a reported shooting around 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Initial reports indicated people inside the home could be injured and that there was an armed person who refused to come out of the residence, police said.
SWAT officers entered the home and found the bodies of the two men as well as another man who was taken into custody. That man was taken to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
