KC neighbors on shooting that killed Grandview teen: ‘Wrong place at the wrong time’
Neighbors of the Kansas City house where a Grandview teen was shot and killed Saturday night say they’re not surprised the tragedy unfolded on their street, claiming shots were fired at the same residence just weeks before.
Police were called just after 10 p.m. to a home in the 3600 block of Norton Avenue, where they found 16-year-old Traelynn Sibley unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound, according to Capt. Jake Becchina, spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department.
Preliminary evidence indicated she was inside the home when gunfire from one or more people outside struck her. There was no known suspect as of Tuesday afternoon. She was declared dead at an area hospital.
But neighbors said they weren’t surprised when they found out something happened at that home, saying that they heard gunshots directed at the residence two weeks before.
“I don’t think there was no random shooting. Somebody knows something,” said Gary Sharp, who has been living on Norton Avenue for six years.
Alayna Gonzalez, spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department, said police didn’t receive additional calls for shootings to that address, but did say there was a call for sound of shots on July 30 at the residence, but that there were no indications later it was a shooting.
‘Never know what her potential would have been’
Shahn Johnson, who lives across the street from where the shooting took place, said he was on his way home Saturday night when he saw the street taped off. He said he instantly knew which house police were there for.
The rest of the block is quiet, according to Johnson, with lots of older neighbors. He believes that someone who doesn’t live at the home but is known to frequent there was the intended target.
“I don’t believe that girl who had passed away had anything to do with it,” Johnson said. “I just think that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Traelynn had been at the home visiting a friend, according to Rosilyn Temple with Mothers in Charge, a group that works with police to provide trauma informed crisis information to families.
“She was a young, 16-year-old, still in school. And we would never know what her potential would have been. The community has to step up and get these people off the streets,” Temple said.
In an email sent to parents from the Grandview C-4 School District, where Traelynn was a student at Grandview High School, officials said they will have staff available for students having issues coping with Traelynn’s death, and encouraged all students to show compassion and kindness.
“We share in the heartbreak and extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and all whose lives she touched,” the district said in a release.
This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 5:31 PM.
