KC man charged with throwing TV from apartment balcony, striking woman on the head

A 36-year-old man is accused of throwing an old television set from the third floor balcony of a Kansas City apartment and onto the head of a woman on the sidewalk below, leaving her with severe head and spine injuries.

Otishus L. Kirkwood, of Kansas City, was charged Friday with first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the attack that happened Thursday morning in the 500 block of Benton Boulevard. Prosecutors requested a $75,000 cash bond.

According to court records, arriving officers found the victim lying unconscious in front of the apartment with obvious head injuries. Large pieces of a broken television were sprawled on the pavement beside her.

The victim was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries. Investigators at the crime scene found a large broken picture tube from a television and a large pool of blood.

Police arrested Kirkwood, and a witness reportedly identified him as the person who threw the television set from the apartment balcony. Detectives later tried to speak to the victim but were unable because of her severe condition. The victim suffered a subdural hematoma and fracture to her cervical spine.

A second witness reportedly told investigators they saw Kirkwood walk onto the balcony and yelled at them, saying they could not come in. Kirkwood then threw a large television 15 feet from the apartment balcony, striking the victim in the head and knocking her unconscious.

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 5:08 PM with the headline "KC man charged with throwing TV from apartment balcony, striking woman on the head."