Westport killing remains unsolved; grieved family boosts reward cash

It’s been a “horrible, horrible month,” said the father of slain Westport man Zach Pearce.

No word has come of any arrests since the 24-year-old was shot just outside his apartment Dec. 3, and his Blue Springs family has added $500 to the $5,000 reward money that the Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline can pay for help cracking the case.

“I’m at my wit’s end,” said the father, Joe Pearce. “He’s my baby. He’s gone. And I don’t know what to do.”

Police are asking for help investigating the killing that happened while Zach Pearce and his boyfriend were walking near 40th and Walnut streets about 11:45 p.m. on Dec. 3.

Witnesses said the two men were approached by a man with a handgun. The man with Pearce said they both gave up their wallets and cell phones but that the man still shot Pearce and fled.

Witnesses said the gunman jumped into a maroon SUV. A woman was driving and another man was in the back. The SUV took off east on 40th Street and then south on Warwick Boulevard.

Investigators later found items belonging to Pearce near 40th and Warwick.

Adding to the reward money is a “keep-the-faith thing,” Joe Pearce said. “You don’t give up. … I’ve got to do something to try to get justice for him.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted online at www.KCcrimestoppers.com.

This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Westport killing remains unsolved; grieved family boosts reward cash."