Security guards find man’s body in downtown Kansas City parking garage
Update: The victim was identified as Russell Mason, 22.
Police are investigating Kansas City’s latest homicide after security guards found a man dead in a parking garage in downtown early Friday, a police spokesman said.
Officers responded shortly after 2:30 a.m. Friday to investigate a report of a dead body being found in a parking garage near West 11th and Wyandotte streets, said Sgt. Phil DiMartino with the Kansas City Police Department.
Arriving officers were directed to the upper floor of the parking garage, where they found 22-year-old Russell Mason with “obvious bodily trauma,” DiMartino said. An emergency medical crew responded and pronounced the man dead.
A preliminary investigation revealed that while making rounds as part of their patrol, the security guards found the Mason. DiMartino said investigators were working to determine what led up to the his fatal injuries.
Detectives and crime scene investigators responded to the area, looked for witnesses, and collected evidence and any surveillance video.
A nearby apartment building, The Mark, said in a letter to residents informing them of the homicide that it had occurred on the Wyandotte side of the parking garage.
The Mark’s management team told residents it had spoken with Mid-Con Management, which manages the garage and others downtown. Mid-Con said the garage’s security guards found Mason, who they described as a homeless man who frequented the parking garage.
The Mark requested that Mid-Con increase vehicle and foot patrols within the garage, and provide additional reserved parking spaces for the apartment building’s residents. The apartment’s management team told residents it has also increased security in the lobby after hours and its nightly roving patrols.
The killing is Kansas City’s 54th homicide of the year, according to data tracked by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings. That compares to 49 homicides reported by this time last year.
Detectives ask anyone with any information about the homicide to call the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS (8744). Information submitted anonymously to the hotline can earn a reward of up to $25,000.
Witnesses can also contact homicide detectives at 816-234-5043.
This story was originally published May 9, 2025 at 6:48 AM.
