Father charged with killing mother of his children in midst of custody battle

A 35-year-old Kansas City man is suspected of shooting the mother of his two children Wednesday after she showed up at his home to retrieve their 7- and 9-year-old boys, according to court documents.

John A. Frazier of Kansas City faces second-degree murder and armed criminal action charges in connection to the slaying of Tamara Randolph, 36. Police arrested Frazier at the scene Wednesday in the 3700 block of Woodland Avenue.

Frazier shared custody of the boys with Randolph, but he had had them since May 28, and she had not seen them since then, court documents say.

Randolph’s sister told police that Randolph went to Frazier’s home on Woodland on Wednesday to get her children back. Randolph called her sister from Frazier’s home and said he had pulled a gun on her, court documents say.

The sister could hear Randolph in the background saying, “So you’re going to pull a gun on me.”

Another sister called Randolph and overheard Frazier trying to persuade her to come into the house. Randolph refused. The sister said she heard what she thought was a struggle.

The sister said she tried to stay on the line but soon heard sirens in the background and officers talking to someone.

When police arrived, officers found Randolph sprawled face down in the driveway of a residence at 37th Street and Woodland Avenue. Police found a Cobra .380 handgun and a cellphone near her on the ground. Randolph had a set of keys in her hand when officers found her.

It appeared that Randolph was shot three times in the back, twice in the chest and twice in the right arm.

Police found a note on the north door of the residence asking Frazier to let her have the kids back. Video surveillance showed Randolph arrive at the residence and knock on the door. It also showed Frazier arrive minutes later. Frazier appeared to be armed with a handgun.

The video stopped recording moments before the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system picked up seven gunshots. Crime scene technicians noted the camera system had been unplugged.

Sterling Randolph was devastated when he got word that his daughter had been shot and killed.

“Every parent does not want that call, especially when you have girls,” Sterling Randolph said.

Tamara Randolph was a a responsible mother who loved her children and took care of them, Sterling Randolph said.

“She was a very giving person, very warm and a very big heart,” he said. “Those were her boys. Everywhere Tamara went, those boys went. She didn’t leave them sitting in a car. She didn’t leave them anywhere that would endanger them.

“It was a situation where one parent picked them up and never returned them.”

This story was originally published August 3, 2017 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Father charged with killing mother of his children in midst of custody battle."