Fatal shooting at KC apartment prompts resident to carry handgun for protection
The fatal shooting at a Kansas City, North, apartment complex Thursday night has left residents rattled and worried about their safety, prompting one woman to openly carry a handgun for protection.
"I normally carry it every now and then only when I go out after dark," said the resident, Lindsey, who would only give her first name because the shooter has not been arrested. "But after that incident, I’ll carry it all of the time, every day."
On Thursday, she heard a volley of five gunshots and saw men fleeing from a unit near her own apartment, where she lives with her boyfriend and their 9-month-old son.
Officers were called to the 8000 block of North Thomas Meyers Drive at about 8 p.m. on a reported shooting and found a male victim dead in the apartment building.
No arrests have been made, and police continued their investigation on Friday. Police were waiting to notify relatives before they released the man's name.
But on Friday, a man who lives in the apartment where the victim was found said he wasn't home at the time but said the man was a friend who was visiting. The victim had attended Park Hill High School and lived at a nearby apartment complex, the resident said.
On Friday, Lindsey was taking a bag of garbage to the dumpster outside of her apartment and showed her 9mm handgun to The Star. She said she now arms herself anytime she leaves her apartment.
"I'm not going to let somebody just get into an argument with me and pull a gun on me," she said. "So now I carry my gun no matter if I go outside to take the trash out, go outside to unlock my car, get something out of my car, I carry it with me."
She continued, "I have the home invasion bullets; they enter and do not exit. And it fits right in," she said as she holstered the gun. "Then with the safety on and one (bullet) in the chamber, it's ready to go at all times."
Another resident said she heard the gunshots and saw a man race across her patio moments after the shooting. The woman said she was home with her daughter, who was taking a shower.
"I told my daughter not to get out of the shower and stay in the bathroom," said the woman, who asked not to be identified because the shooter remained at large. "I had to make sure my daughter was safe."
The woman said she alerted police of a noticeable increase in drug activity at the apartment complex. The shooting Thursday night has her worried.
"I just hope somebody saw something," she said.
Witnesses told investigators they saw several men race from the apartment Thursday night, possibly jumping from a second-floor window, before fleeing in two vehicles. Police said it was unclear whether the men were suspects or witnesses.
Anyone with information should call the Tips Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).
This story was originally published May 25, 2018 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Fatal shooting at KC apartment prompts resident to carry handgun for protection."