Man dies after spending a week in KC hospital with gunshot wounds, police say
A man died in a Kansas City hospital one week after he was hurt in a shooting downtown, police said.
Officers responded around 5:15 a.m. June 19 to 8th Street and Central Street for calls about the sound of gunfire. A caller allegedly told police they could see a man who was shot, said Capt. Jake Becchina, a police spokesman.
Officers called paramedics to the scene, who transported the man to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, Becchina said.
A preliminary investigation showed that the victim had an interaction in a parking lot that escalated to shots being fired.
The man had been hospitalized since the shooting. On Friday, Becchina said, hospital staff notified detectives that the man died from his injuries.
Police identified the man as David M. Smith, 23.
The case is now being investigated as a homicide.
The killing is Kansas City’s 83rd homicide this year, according to data maintained by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings. At this time last year, the city had recorded 75 homicides.
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact homicide unit detectives directly at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-8477. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information submitted anonymously to the hotline.
