Man fatally shot in Kansas City yard early Wednesday identified by police
Kansas City police have identified the man fatally shot in a front yard early Wednesday in the Foxtown East neighborhood as 63-year-old Ernest Gibson.
Police were dispatched to the area of East 69th Street and Jackson Avenue after gunshots were heard around 12:45 a.m., Sgt. Jake Sgt. Jake Becchina, a Kansas City Police Department spokesman, said in a statement. It was upgraded to a shooting call as officers were a short distance away, Becchina said.
Arriving officers found Gibson suffering from gunshot wounds in the front yard of a home. He was taken by ambulance to an area hospital and died a short while later, police said.
Investigators quickly determined the shooting event likely occurred in the front yard. Becchina said Wednesday night that a person of interest has been identified by detectives and they are hopeful to have a case presented to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office soon.
The latest killing marks the 109th homicide this year in Kansas City, according to data maintained by The Star. By this time last year — the deadliest year on record — the city had suffered 149 homicides.
The Star’s Anna Spoerre contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 22, 2021 at 9:17 PM.
