Court documents: Northland man accused of murder in shooting that killed 1
A Kansas City man has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of another man that took place inside a Northland residence last week, according to recent filings in Clay County Court.
Forrest Lee Shoemaker, 28, is accused of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and evidence tampering. He is being held on a $1 million bond after authorities considered him a flight risk.
Shoemaker did not have an attorney listed in court records who could speak on his behalf.
On March 12, officers with the Kansas City Police Department were summoned to the 7500 block of N. Wyoming Ct. for a request to check on the welfare of a person. That call was later upgraded to a shooting while the officers were traveling to the scene, Officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman with the department, said at the time.
When the officers arrived, according to court documents, they entered through the open back door and soon found the body of Caleb Meroney, 29, shot and killed. Investigators reported finding several bullet casings and some unspent ammunition near his body.
Investigating detectives allege Meroney was shot by Shoemaker inside the home following an argument during the eviction of two other residents, possibly friends of Meroney’s. Meroney had arrived to help them move, and Shoemaker was among several other people living inside the Northland home, according to a probable cause statement created by investigators.
Witnesses told police they heard a volley of gunshots — described by one as sounding like a “gun battle” — while they were inside the basement of the home.
The witnesses also told police Shoemaker admitted to killing Meroney, first saying Meroney had attempted to shoot him first. Shoemaker was also accused of saying he shot Meroney five times.
Shoemaker later changed his story and told the witnesses Meroney had placed his hand on a gun inside his waistband but had not fired, according to the probable cause statement.
At one point, the witnesses told police that Shoemaker had threatened two other residents who had seen the killing occur. Those two fled the house after Shoemaker allegedly threatened them, the court documents state.
Other witnesses told police Shoemaker had expressed a desire to flee to Texas, according to court documents, and that Shoemaker had been speaking with someone on the phone about cleaning up the crime scene.
Shoemaker was found and arrested in a Smithville home. He was booked in Clay County’s detention center on Saturday.
Meroney’s killing marked the 32nd homicide investigated by the Kansas City Police Department so far this year. The city saw a total of 182 homicides in all of 2020, according to data maintained by The Star.
