Why did it take KCPD hours to notify the public about highway shootings?
Just hours before Kansas City’s highly anticipated first World Cup match Tuesday evening, four people were shot and one person was killed in an alleged shooting spree along two major highways.
Despite a wave of reports about the shootings online, it took the Kansas City Police Department roughly seven hours to notify the public as thousands of fans from across the globe traveled to Arrowhead Stadium to watch the matchup between Argentina and Algeria.
As police continue to search for the suspect, the KCPD is now also facing scrutiny for its lack of prompt notification about the shootings. The spray of gunshots ahead of the World Cup came amid a wave of recent incidents that have placed the city’s struggle with gun violence under a microscope.
“One of the responsibilities of law enforcement is to provide notice to the public if there is some risk or danger, even if there aren’t a ton of details,” said Lauren Bonds, executive director for the National Police Accountability Project. “Typically, there being a shooter at large, it’s something that you might expect a law enforcement agency to provide notice to the public.”
Officers first received reports of the shootings along Interstate 70 and Interstate 670 between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Star asked the KCPD about online reports of gunfire around 8:30 p.m., but the department did not officially confirm the shootings until it put out a press release at 1:29 a.m. Wednesday.
The agency later held a press conference about the shootings Wednesday evening.
“The investigation was evolving rapidly and as information became available and was in the best interest of the public, and the investigation the information was shared accordingly, as it has continued to be,” Capt. Jake Becchina, a police spokesperson, said in an email when asked about the release of information.
Becchina said that information is shared with the public “when it is verified and in the best interest of public safety, and the ongoing investigation.”
“There is not a specific ‘if this then that’ equation,” Becchina said. “Each case is different and each case requires careful thought to go into what is shared.”
Madeline Romious, the vice president of Kansas City’s police board, declined to respond to criticisms about the department’s release of information in an interview. Romious directed questions to the department.
The hours-long delay in confirming the shooting, however, has raised questions from at least two state lawmakers. Kansas City is one of the few cities in the country with a police department under state control.
“It is concerning,” said Rep. Mark Sharp, a Kansas City Democrat. “I am not sure what the reason for the delay was. I’m not sure if they were just trying to collect all the information before they said anything — this is a very sensitive issue, because we are essentially under the microscope right now.”
In a follow-up statement, Sharp said he supported “our law enforcement agencies as they work diligently to investigate this incident and bring those responsible to justice.”
“There is simply no place for this kind of reckless behavior in our community, especially while Kansas City is on the international stage,” he said, referring to the shooting and not the law enforcement response.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the law enforcement response. Lucas is the sole member of the city’s police board not appointed by Missouri’s governor.
Kansas City’s role in hosting World Cup matches has also drawn international focus on the region’s gun violence, raising questions about whether the delayed release of information was related to the World Cup.
“I don’t think it’s taken them this long before,” said Rep. Emily Weber, a Kansas City Democrat. “I’m going to assume it had something to do with the World Cup, but I don’t know that.”
Bonds, the police accountability expert, said it was not unreasonable to assume that the lack of transparency surrounding the shootings was tied to a desire to control public perception of the city’s handling of the World Cup. But she cautioned that she did not have enough information to say that definitively.
“Police departments are very focused on (public relations) when it comes to anything,” she said. “How the public is going to perceive their work, the degree of public safety in the community, the propriety of the actions of their offices, those all factor into how a police department communicates with the public.”
However, Council member Wes Rogers, who represents the 2nd District, cautioned that if the KCPD felt there was a danger to the public, they would have provided notice.
“There’s just no way that they found there was a danger on the interstate and they were just ignoring it,” he said. “If there was a threat to anyone, they would have taken the necessary precautions.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican, said in an interview that he was unaware of the details surrounding the shooting. Brattin said that, in general, it takes time to formulate an investigation before a police agency can release statements about an incident.
“I mean, there has to be a common sense amount of time to allow for that,” said Brattin, who is running for Congress. “They need time to gather that information to ensure that the public is getting correct information, but I’m not for abject suppression of stories.”
Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, a Kansas City Democrat, did not criticize the release of information, but said “taxpayers deserve department leaders who are responsive and transparent.” She pointed at the fact that KCPD was under state control.
“I greatly appreciate the frontline officers who are working around the clock to catch this shooter, and I hope department leaders provide the public with the information they need to stay safe as this manhunt continues,” she said.
What we know about shootings
The shootings on Tuesday have sparked a chaotic manhunt for the alleged suspect, 22-year-old Oscar Sanchez-Munoz, that has included two standoffs with police, a home set ablaze in Independence and a multi-agency search for clues.
As of Thursday, police had not apprehended Sanchez-Munoz.
Police have said that four people were wounded in shootings along I-670 and I-70. Another man, who died after his vehicle crashed at Truman Road and Bennington Avenue, is also thought to have been shot by the same suspect, Becchina confirmed Wednesday.
Three of the shooting victims are adults and one is a juvenile, Becchina said. As of Wednesday, the teen was in stable condition, and two of the three adults had injuries police believed to be not life-threatening. One adult suffered life-threatening injuries, Becchina said.
One of the living victims is an Uber driver who was taking fans to Kansas City Stadium for Tuesday’s World Cup match, police confirmed Wednesday. The shootings took place about eight miles from Arrowhead Stadium, which is hosting six World Cup matches this year.
Police have said there were no other known ties between the shootings and the World Cup.
This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM.
