Mass shooting suspect not found after police search 2 homes in Kansas City, Kansas
Tactical police officers surrounded two Kansas City, Kansas, homes Tuesday afternoon in search of the second suspect in Sunday’s mass shooting, but they turned up negative results.
Police first searched for Hugo Villanueva-Morales, 29, at a duplex in the 200 block of North 14th Street, just over a half-mile from Tequila KC, the bar where he and another man allegedly fatally shot four people and wounded five.
About 50 people gathered to watch tactical officers surround the home, but Villanueva-Morales was not there.
Among the onlookers was Michael Barajas, who was shot during the rampage. A bullet was lodged in his shoulder blade. He held his cell phone in his left hand because his right arm remains in a sling.
He had hoped to see the suspect get apprehended.
Officer Jonathon Westbrook, a Kansas City, Kansas, police spokesman, said police continued their search at a second home near Central Avenue and North Valley Street, where Villanueva-Morales was known to frequent.
The crowd followed police to the area.
“Everyone just wants closure,” said Amanda Holman, who frequented the bar and knew three of the men killed.
Holman was driving to the bar when she got word of the shooting. A bullet had punctured one of her relatives’ lungs. He’s recovering at a hospital under a different name out of precaution, considering Villanueva-Morales remains at large, she said.
“We just really want answers,” Holman said.
A man walked up the scene.
“They get him?” he asked.
Police determined Villanueva-Morales wasn’t there either.
Villanueva-Morales and Javier Alatorre, 23, of Kansas City, have each been charged in Wyandotte County District Court with four counts of first-degree murder in connection to the bar shooting.
The victims were identified as Everardo Meza, 29, Alfredo Calderon Jr, 29, Francisco Garcia Anaya, 34, and Martin Rodriguez-Gonzalez, 58.
Alatorre was arrested Sunday afternoon in Kansas City. He appeared in Jackson County Circuit Court on Tuesday and waived his right to fight being returned to Kansas to face the charges. A judge then ordered his extradition.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 8, 2019 at 3:19 PM with the headline "Mass shooting suspect not found after police search 2 homes in Kansas City, Kansas."
