Weekend of gun violence claims another young victim. Woman fatally shot in KC home

A woman in her late 20s was found fatally shot in a Kansas City home early Sunday, continuing what has been a violent weekend in the region, police said.

Police have taken three “persons of interest” into custody following a high-speed chase involving a silver Chevrolet Camaro that was seen fleeing from the fatal shooting and ended in Kansas City, Kan.

Police responded to reports of a shooting about 12:30 a.m. Sunday at a home in the 6000 block of Park Avenue.

Arriving officers spotted the Camaro fleeing the scene and pursued the car. Officers chased the car into Johnson County at 63rd Street and State Line Road.

Speeds were reported to be near 70 mph as the car passed Indian Lane headed west on 63rd in Mission Hills, according to audio of the chase from Broadcastify.com.

While the chase was unfolding, other officers were searching the home for possible victims. Eventually, they found the woman with no signs of life. She was pronounced dead shortly thereafter, police said.

Speeds reached about 90 mph as the Camaro raced north on Nall Avenue near 67th Street, according to the audio of the chase.

The driver of the car allegedly blew through traffic lights and stop signs while leading police on the chase through Mission and Roeland Park. Speeds were near 70 mph through residential streets.

“It looks like he’s just making a big circle,” said the pursuing officer. “So I don’t know what he’s really trying to do here.”

As the driver headed north on Roe Avenue in Roeland Park, speeds climbed to 90 mph, according to audio from the chase.

The chase crossed over Interstate 35 and continued to head north on U.S. 69/18th Street Expressway, where speeds reached 105 mph.

At that point, dispatchers confirmed to the pursing officers that the woman’s death was a homicide.

The driver then headed west on Interstate 70 where speeds climbed to 115 mph as the car passed Interstate 635. The driver exited onto 57th Street. The chase eventually ended at North 45th Street and Lafayette Avenue where police took three people into custody.

The woman’s death is Kansas City’s 34th homicide of the year. Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

The homicide is part of what has already been a violent weekend in the Kansas City area. In about a 24-hour period, six shootings left two people dead and five people injured in Kansas City, Olathe and Lawrence. Most of the victims were teenagers.

This story was originally published March 31, 2019 at 9:00 AM.