KC man charged after fatal shooting at ReDiscover’s apartments for young adults
Update: This story was updated Wednesday afternoon to include a statement from ReDiscover.
The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a murder charge against a 23-year-old man after another man was fatally shot inside a transitional-living facility for young adults.
Isiah J. Ferguson is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection to the shooting death of one of the apartment residents, 20-year-old Samuel B. Cummins, according to the prosecutor’s news release.
The shooting led to a three-hour standoff early Tuesday at the apartment complex operated by ReDiscover, a nonprofit organization that provides services for people affected by mental illness and substance-use disorders.
According to a probable cause statement filed Tuesday, Kansas City police officers were called to the apartment complex at 7540 Washington Street to investigate a report of a shooting just before 1 a.m. The witness who reported the shooting told police he had heard a loud noise near one of the units. He said he couldn’t find the source of the noise and returned to the apartment office to review surveillance footage.
The witness told police that while he was watching the video, he saw someone walk up to the door of an apartment and knock. The resident opened the door and the person allegedly pointed what appeared to be a handgun at the resident.
The witness told police he went to the apartment and found the resident, later identified as Cummins, dead on the floor.
Court records said Cummins had gunshot wounds to his torso and head.
Early on in the investigation, detectives identified a person of interest they wanted to talk with inside the building. Officers decided to initiate an Operation 100, a tactical response when there is a standoff, Capt. Tim Hernandez, a police spokesman, told The Star earlier in an email.
Other residents inside the apartment building were cleared from their units while the standoff continued. Shortly after 4 a.m., the standoff ended when the person surrendered to police. The person was taken into custody, Hernandez said.
That person was later identified in court records as Ferguson, who lives in one of the units.
In an interview with police, Ferguson stated he did not talk to Cummins often but was having “suspicions” about Cummins, court records said. When police asked Ferguson what his suspicions were, Ferguson allegedly stated “get him before he get me.”
Ferguson said he knocked on Cummins’ door early Tuesday. Cummins answered, and Ferguson said he asked Cummins to step aside. Ferguson allegedly stated he then shot Cummins 10 times with a handgun.
Surveillance video obtained by police showed Cummins’ door opening and Ferguson extending his arm inside the apartment before going inside for a brief moment. The video reportedly shows Ferguson going back to his apartment after leaving Cummins’ unit.
Police later found a 9mm handgun under some clothes in a hamper during a search of Ferguson’s apartment. The head stamps on the ammunition found in the gun matched the head stamps of spent shell casings found next to the victim, court records said.
During his interview with police, Ferguson also told police he was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was 20 and takes medication for it.
He described feeling different emotions after the shooting, reportedly telling police at one point that he felt wrong, and other times, he felt “glad,” court records said.
Ferguson also described feeling disturbed and reportedly stated he would take back what he did if he could.
After charges were filed in Jackson County Circuit Court on Tuesday, bond for Ferguson was set at $250,000 cash. He remains in custody at the county jail.
Ferguson did not yet have an attorney listed in public records who could be reached for comment, and a court hearing has not yet been scheduled.
A day after the shooting at its Washington Street apartments, ReDiscover issued the following statement:
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family for their loss. The loss of life is devastating and deeply impacts our community. ReDiscover has a 50-year legacy of providing innovative, comprehensive and compassionate care and has helped hundreds of thousands of people remain or re-engage as stable, productive members of the community. Out of respect for privacy and confidentiality, ReDiscover will not comment further.”
According to a previous report in The Star, the 14-unit apartment building where the shooting happened was under construction in 2015. At the time, it was touted by social service providers as a breakthrough. It was the city’s first supervised, independent living alternative for young people who had aged out of the foster care system but weren’t ready to live completely on their own.
This story was originally published August 27, 2019 at 9:01 PM.
