Police release surveillance video in plea for help solving year-old homicide

Police published a surveillance video of a person of interest on the one-year anniversary of the killing of Eric Anderson in the parking lot of Kansas City’s Blue Bird Motel.

Police are hoping the video will help spur new leads in the cold case.

“Eric Anderson’s daughters already lost their mother to cancer in March 2016, and they would like your help in getting closure in their father’s death,” a police spokesperson said in a written statement.

Anderson, 41, was found fatally shot in the parking lot of the motel in the 8900 block of U.S. 40 when he was preparing to check in just after 8 p.m. Dec. 6, 2016.

A motel employee told police that she had been robbed by a man wearing a black vest prior to the shooting.

The person of interest, seen in a KCATA bus video, appears to be familiar with the area around 31st Street and Indiana Avenue, police said. His voice is heard speaking with the bus driver. The man is wearing a black puffy vest over a patterned hoodie.

Anyone with information can call Kansas City Police Department’s homicide unit at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). The reward for information leading to an arrest in this case is up to $5,000.

This story was originally published December 6, 2017 at 10:48 AM with the headline "Police release surveillance video in plea for help solving year-old homicide."