Family mourns River Market shooting victim 14 years after the killing of his brother
Charles Shirley was trying to change his life.
The 41-year-old father of four had been in and out of jail as a young adult. He was behind bars 14 years ago when his younger brother was shot and killed inside a car in Kansas City.
But, after Shirley’s last stay in jail about five years ago, he committed to turning things around, said his aunt Sharon Oliver. He stopped drinking and using marijuana and started his own business, Finessed Clothing.
He was bothered, though, that he wasn’t home when his brother was killed, said his cousin, Catina Timley.
“I think he really tried to live his life through his brother,” she said. “I think he tried to be his brother and himself all at once.”
Timley and Oliver were shocked Monday when they learned Shirley was found shot to death in a car next to the Cold Storage Lofts in the River Market. He was one of 10 people shot and killed in the Kansas City area this week.
“Why would someone do this to him,” asked Oliver. “A mother is not supposed to bury her child.”
The homicide is still under investigation and his family is waiting for answers from police as his mother mourns the loss of her last surviving child.
‘A beautiful life’
Growing up, Shirley was a loving child who was shy but a jokester, Timley said.
As a teen and young adult, however, he went down some “wrong roads,” said Oliver. He spent time in jail, first for second degree robbery and other times for driving with a suspended license and driving while intoxicated. Timley said she worried that he and his brother spent time with people that weren’t good for them.
But Shirley’s love for his mother and his four daughters motivated him to change things in recent years, Oliver said.
His nickname was Hustle.
“He was happy and becoming a success with his company and wanted the best for his children and his mother,” Oliver said.
Timley said her cousin often stood out for how well dressed he was.
“He didn’t belong here, he belonged in London, he was like a model,” she said. “He had this aura about him that no matter if you knew him or not he drew to you.”
This magnetism, Timley said, meant Shirley had many friends who loved him. So many that she said the family is holding off on scheduling funeral services until after Kansas City’s stay-at-home order is lifted and is concerned that they won’t be able to let everyone in to abide by limits on large gatherings.
In the meantime the family is spending time together and reminiscing on the good times and making sure his mother doesn’t have to be alone. A balloon release at the site of his killing was scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Both women said family was the most important thing to Shirley, they spent time together constantly and the little moments were important to him. His daughters, Oliver said, ranged in age from 8 months to 25 years.
“He lived a beautiful life,” Timley said.
Gun violence will be the subject of a new, statewide journalism project The Star is undertaking in Missouri this year in partnership with the national service program Report for America. As part of this project, The Star will seek the community’s help.
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