Man found dead on a neighborhood sidewalk. Kansas City police call it suspicious
Update: The deceased has been identified as Christopher Avila, 18.
Detectives with the Kansas City Police Department are trying to determine what led to a man being found dead in Kansas City’s East Blue Valley neighborhood Thursday morning.
Officers were dispatched around 5:30 a.m. to the intersection of East 17th Street and Cambridge Avenue on a medical emergency call. They found a man lying unresponsive on the sidewalk with injuries and paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene.
Officers could not immediately determine how the victim sustained his injuries, but asked for assistance from homicide detectives after determining the death was suspicious, said Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for KCPD.
Gonzalez said homicide detectives are working to speak with witnesses and crime scene personnel are canvassing the area for evidence.
Police have not yet publicly identified the victim.
The death is Kansas City’s 128th homicide of 2024, according to data maintained by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings. At this time last year, the city had recorded 156 homicides.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-8477.
This story was originally published October 24, 2024 at 9:55 AM.
