KC man is shot to death during dispute over former roommate’s belongings, police say

An Independence man is accused of shooting and killing a man over a dispute between former roommates last week near an elementary school in Kansas City.

David W. Worlledge, 31, of Independence, is charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm in the Aug. 29 killing of 36-year-old Christopher M. Cropp, according to Jackson County prosecutors.

The shooting happened about 1 p.m. outside a home in the 7000 block of Askew Avenue, where Cropp was renting a bedroom. The gunfire interrupted classes at a nearby elementary school.

A witness told police he saw three people, including a former roommate of Cropp, pull up to the driveway in a Chevrolet Trailblazer.

Cropp was sitting on the front porch, smoking a cigarette.

The witness said the roommate left the vehicle and had an argument with Cropp on the front lawn. During the fight, the witness said a man sitting in the back seat of the SUV pulled out a gun.

The witness recalled Cropp saying, “What are you going to do, shoot me?”

That’s when the man in the back seat, later identified as Worlledge, fired a shot from inside the SUV, striking Cropp, court records said.

The witness said Cropp then got up, walked over to the SUV, reached in the front passenger side window and pulled the key out of the ignition.

Worlledge shot Cropp again, causing him to fall to the ground, court records said.

The witness said another man, who was driving the SUV, grabbed the car keys from Cropp’s hand and the group drove away.

Cropp was taken to a hospital but was later pronounced dead. Police said he was shot three times.

Police later interviewed the roommate and the driver, who both said Cropp had refused to turn over some of the roommate’s personal belongings before he was shot. Both identified Worlledge as the shooter, according to court records.

The driver told police he thought Cropp was still alive as he got out of the SUV to retrieve the car keys. He also told police Worlledge told him to clean out the SUV that day and dump it elsewhere in the city after the shooting.

Police found the vehicle on Aug. 30, abandoned in the 8500 block of East 21st Street.

Worlledge was taken into police custody Tuesday. He denied knowing anything about the shooting and denied recognizing the driver or the victim.

While conducting a search of Worlledge’s home, police found a handgun they thought was used in the killing, as well as some personal items associated with Cropp’s former roommate.

Worlledge was being held in the Jackson County Detention Center on $100,000 bond.

A GoFundMe account has been created to help Cropp’s family raise money to cover funeral costs.