KCK police announce arrests in two recent homicides

Police have arrested two people in connection with two of the last three homicides in Kansas City, Kan., police announced Tuesday.

Police made arrests in the Brannae Brown homicide on Friday and the David Burkin homicide on Sunday.

Brown, 15, of Kansas City, Kan., was killed in a drive-by shooting about 6:30 p.m. Friday in the 500 block of Freeman Drive. Another person was injured.

Burkin was killed about midnight Sunday. Police responding to a report of an accident in the 900 block of Argentine Boulevard found Burkin’s body inside a vehicle with a gunshot wound.

Burkin was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Police said they have also solved the homicide of Steven L. Sykes, 36, of Kansas City, Kan. An arrest in that case, however, has not been made.

Police responding to a report of a disturbance about 12:50 p.m. Saturday found Sykes’ body in the 3100 block of North 21st Street. Sykes had been fatally shot.

Charges are pending in all three cases.

Police said tips from the community helped lead to the arrests.

The homicides come at a time when Kansas City, Kan., is experiencing a rise in gun-related violent crimes, police said. So far this year, there have been 29 homicides in the city. That compares with 22 homicides at this point in 2015.

Police said they have promising leads in other unsolved homicides from this year but need additional information.

Police plan to meet Tuesday to discuss the unsolved cases and plan a strategy to go door to door in the neighborhoods where the homicides occurred to distribute fliers.

Anyone with information about homicides in the city are asked to call the Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division at 913-573-6020 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.