‘Perfect kid’: Family mourns Kansas City high schooler shot next to friend in woods
Maria Rodriguez felt something was off when her brother hadn’t returned home after a night out with a friend last week. She walked into his room and found the bed unmade, still wrinkled from where he had laid down the day before.
Her brother, Carlos Gonzalez, left the house around 11 p.m. last Wednesday to spend time with his friend Kalob Ruth, 19. Before leaving, he had dinner with his sister — who had helped raise him in recent years — and joked around, acting like his old self for the first time in a while.
It was normal for Gonzalez, 17, to spend time at Ruth’s home and fall asleep there. The teens grew up together, and Ruth often walked Gonzalez to elementary school when they were younger.
But on Thursday, Rodriguez grew worried when her brother didn’t answer anyone’s calls. Gonzalez’s sister-in-law called her panicked — the teen’s cell phone showed he was at a hospital.
Rodriguez called and drove to hospitals in the area asking if her brother was there, but couldn’t get answers. She prayed Gonzalez had spent the night at a friend’s house or lost his phone.
“It’s those hours of not knowing,” Rodriguez said. “It was scary.”
Eventually, police arrived at her home and asked Rodriguez to identify Gonzalez. They told her he had been shot and killed.
Police believe Gonzalez and Ruth were shot in a wooded area of Kansas City before they were transported by private vehicle to the University of Kansas Medical Center. Officers were called around 12:45 a.m. Thursday to the hospital, where the teens were pronounced dead.
A man was taken into custody that day for further questioning, police said. No additional persons of interest were being sought, and the investigation is ongoing. The person taken into custody has not been publicly identified.
The killings were the 21st and 22nd homicides in Kansas City this year, according to data tracked by The Star. There had been 24 killings at the same time last year.
‘Carlos really tried’
Rodriguez’s family has dealt with loss before.
When their mother died in a car crash in January 2021, Rodriguez, now 25, took over legal guardianship of Gonzalez and their other two brothers and raised them along with her own children.
After losing their mom, Gonzalez drew back and became quieter. He didn’t plan pranks or crack jokes as much as he did before.
He hugged his siblings and told them he loved them often.
Every morning, he helped Rodriguez get their younger brothers up for school and checked in on them. He did what he could to support his loved ones without expecting anything in return, Rodriguez said.
Gonzalez was a junior at J.C. Harmon High School, where he played football for the Hawks. His freshman year, Rodriguez said her brother’s team lost every game, but Gonzalez would motivate them to stay positive and continue to better themselves.
It’s easy, she said, for young men to get discouraged, but her brother did his best every game and practice to encourage them to continue.
Gonzalez had recently started working at UPS, and had been with his girlfriend for more than six years. They had been together since middle school and talked about getting married and starting a family of their own.
He was trying to decide if he wanted to pursue a college or trade school education, and helped friends with construction jobs in his free time to save some money.
After his death, Gonzalez’s coach told Rodriguez her brother was a “perfect kid” who had to deal with a slew of unfortunate circumstances.
In June, his teammate JaMarcus Lane Jr., 16, was found fatally shot in a Kansas City, Kansas, home. A few days after Gonzalez’s death was the six-year anniversary of the shooting death of his friend K.C. Gillespie.
Ruth had recently celebrated his child’s birthday and was expecting the birth of his second child before the shooting.
“Carlos really tried,” Rodriguez said, “but the circumstances around these kids with all this violence and aggressiveness and the guns. Our community needs to do better.”
His teammates have reached out to Rodriguez, telling her they’re heartbroken to lose another friend to gun violence.
“This scars them for life,” Rodriguez said. “They’re not gonna forget losing a close friend at such a young age while their brains are still developing and they’re still forming their own character.”
Gonzalez and Ruth’s families have started fundraisers to pay for their memorial services and other expenses. Cafe Tikal, 4960 State Ave., will host a benefit from 8 a.m. to midnight Thursday with proceeds going to Gonzalez’s funeral and family.
