Person of interest in custody following KC shooting that killed teen, wounded another

A person of interest is in police custody after a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed over the weekend in Kansas City.

Shortly before 6 p.m. Friday, police officers were dispatched to the 6000 block of East 13th Street on a reported shooting, said Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a department spokeswoman.

One of the gunshot victims was found unresponsive in the street near a vehicle that had struck a light pole. The teenager, later identified as Aaron Amparan, was taken to the hospital and died there.

Police initially said two other teenagers were struck by gunfire and taken by ambulance to the hospital, but police later clarified only one other teenager had been shot.

The night of the shooting, police believed there had been an exchange of gunfire before a suspect vehicle fled the scene.

“So, this is one of those times where we really appreciate the community coming out, speaking with the detectives, cooperating with us, giving us the information that we need to try to figure out who’s responsible for this,” Gonzalez said on Friday. “A young child lost his life tonight, and a mother is now without a son.”

On Monday, police told media that a person of interest had been taken into custody. Charges had not yet been filed.

The killing Friday marked Kansas City’s 160th homicide of 2023, according to data maintained by The Star.

Kansas City police continue asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or call the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS.

This story was originally published November 6, 2023 at 3:56 PM.