Two men killed in separate shootings Monday evening in Kansas City, police say
Two men were killed in separate shootings Monday evening as the Memorial Day weekend came to a close with seven homicides in Kansas City since Friday.
Around 7 p.m., officers were called to the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 3300 block of Colorado Avenue in the Dunbar neighborhood on a reported shooting, said Sgt. Jake Becchina, a Kansas City Police Department spokesman.
In the parking lot, officers found a vehicle with one gunshot victim inside, Becchina said. The gunshot victim, a man, was taken to the hospital by paramedics and pronounced dead there.
Detectives were working to learn more about the circumstances surrounding the shooting and seeking witnesses, Becchina said. Police had no suspect information as of Monday night.
Meanwhile, Kansas City police officers were called to a separate shooting around 7:30 p.m. to a house at the corner of 35th Street and Wabash Avenue.
A man inside that house was found suffering from gunshot wounds. Arriving officers rendered first aid and called for emergency medical personnel, Becchina said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Early information gathered by detectives indicated the gunshot victim had an interaction with one or more people inside the residence that ended in gunfire, Becchina said. One person of interest was taken into police custody and was being held Monday night.
Becchina said police would be working with the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office to determine whether charges would be filed in the case.
Speaking to the series of homicides over the holiday weekend, Becchina said Monday it was unfortunate that several people died by violence on a day when many people were out enjoying the weather and spending time with their families.
“Today’s a day for celebrating those that gave their life for this country. Having people die by violence in the city on that day is an unfortunate parallel with that holiday,” Becchina said
“We don’t know the circumstances of each of these (homicides), but none of them needed to happen,” he added. “We do know that for sure.”
Kansas City has seen 75 homicides so far in 2023, according to data maintained by The Star. Last year, the city had its second-deadliest in history with 171 recorded homicides.
Kansas City police were asking anyone with information about the homicides to contact detectives at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.
This story was originally published May 29, 2023 at 11:02 PM.
