Gunfire a persistent problem near KC park where 15-year-old was killed, neighbors say
William Riley, 60, had left for work when a shooting near his south Kansas City home on East 88th Place took the life of a 15-year-old boy this week.
His wife told him the news when he got home from his part time job Tuesday afternoon.
“She said, ‘Some kid got shot on our block,” Riley said. “And I said, ‘there wasn’t any shooting when I was here.’”
While he had not heard gunshots that afternoon, he does often hear gunfire just up the street, he told The Star Thursday. It’s a persistent problem in the community, he said, but one to which many have grown accustomed.
Frequent gunfire there stands in contrast to a park where families often take their kids to swing and play in the afternoons, Riley said. He often sees people running and walking their dogs on the paved paths that snake around a jungle gym and picnic area.
Isaiah Wilson, 15, was fatally shot in the early afternoon Tuesday. Officers with the Kansas City Police Department responded to St. Luke’s East Hospital around 2:30 p.m. after medical staff reported a gunshot wound.
Police initially said as part of a preliminary investigation that Wilson was walking outside near East 88th Place and James A. Reed Road when he heard several rounds of shots and was wounded. Wilson called a friend for help who took him to a hospital, where he later died, police said.
On Thursday morning, a KCPD spokesperson said investigators were unable to locate a crime scene in or around James A. Reed Park. Detectives are actively working the case and trying to determine what led up to Wilson being shot, said Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a KCPD spokeswoman.
It’s not clear where, exactly, Wilson was shot and how he was struck with a bullet. Gonzalez said investigators are wondering now if the shooting, in fact, happened outdoors since no crime scene was found.
Slain teen remembered by school
In a letter to school district parents Wednesday, Raytown South High School Principal John Williams said that Wilson’s death has had a significant impact on the school.
“Our school family wishes to express our sympathy to Isaiah’s family and friends,” Williams said in his letter. “We will offer support to our students and staff who are grieving this loss.”
Williams said staff will be extra watchful as students process Wilson’s death.
“Students who may be having difficulty coping with the loss will be encouraged to talk to adults about their feelings,” Williams said.
The letter included advice for parents on how to best support children dealing with grief, including talking about facts in a simple manner, giving them space to talk about feelings and coming up with ways for them to say “goodbye” to their friend.
Issues with crime in neighborhood
Riley said neighbors watched Tuesday as police searched for blood and a crime scene a few hundred feet from his home.
Despite the chaos, and the boy’s tragic death, Riley said he feels, for the most part, safe in the neighborhood he has lived in for more than 15 years. He lives there with his wife and son who just graduated high school.
He does, however, remember a few times he was startled by gunfire. One of those times was when he was taking a shower and heard a loud gunshot near his home.
“I thought, ‘Man, that was really close,’” Riley said.
James A. Reed Park is situated in Kansas City near the city limits of Raytown. Another homeowner who lives nearby said they have seen crime rates change over time.
Christina Crawford said she’s lived in the neighborhood for 15 years. She used to live near East 87th Street, but now lives with her husband near the intersection of James A. Reed Road and Blue Ridge Boulevard, about a mile north of where police said the shooting happened.
Crawford said a Phillips 66 gas station just north of the park has been plagued with crime for some time.
In 2022, two 18-year-olds were fatally shot in an attempted robbery during a gun sale at the gas station.
“The convenience store on that corner has had a lot of trouble there, which is sad because the gentleman who owns it, or at least used to because I won’t go down there anymore, was always so nice,” Crawford said in a text.
Almost every night, Crawford said, she hears someone shoot off a handgun.
“Sometimes the person shoots off several rounds, and then that’s it,” Crawford said. “Other times, a few minutes later, the person is at it again.”
Crawford said she feels part of the draw for crime in the area is the neighborhood being situated on the border of Kansas City and Raytown. People have quick access to highways, too, she said.
Recently, the Raytown Police Department has improved their response time when Crawford calls them, she said.
“They’re here in two minutes or less, making their presence known, and the nightly gun shots will stop for a few nights,” she said.
The Kansas City Police Department continues to investigate what led to Wilson’s death. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 3:42 PM.
