Jury finds 61-year-old man guilty of murder in midtown Kansas City shooting
A Jackson County jury found a 61-year-old Kansas City man guilty of murder in the fatal shooting of 45-year-old Willie Spencer in the spring of 2024 in Kansas City’s midtown area, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
On Thursday, the jury found Tyron Lee Sims guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Jackson County Judge Patrick C. Edwards set sentencing for 9 a.m. Nov. 21.
Under Missouri law, Sims faces a sentence of life in prison without parole on the first-degree murder conviction.
Video, clothing link Sims to killing
According to court documents, police responded to a report of shots fired around 5 a.m. March 20, 2024, near the intersection of East 38th and Wyandotte Streets.
There, officers found an emergency medical crew with Spencer, who had been shot twice. He was declared dead at the scene.
Surveillance video showed Spencer walking in the area before he was chased by a man later identified as Sims. At one point, Spencer fell, and Sims approached him. After pausing, Sims then ran north.
Investigators noted that Sims was wearing a black hat, a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants and a pinky ring.
Surveillance video from other cameras captured the sound of gunfire. Additional footage from cameras in the area shows Sims fleeing through a McDonald’s parking lot in the area, heading north on Broadway to an apartment building. Another camera captured him dialing a number on a call box before being buzzed inside.
Police arrested Sims the next day. After receiving a search warrant, police found a black hat, black pants, and shoes that matched those worn by the man captured in the videos. They also found ammunition. At the time of his arrest, Sims was wearing a ring on each pinky.
While being questioned by detectives, Sims denied shooting Spencer and initially claimed he had not left his apartment. He later acknowledged he had left earlier in the night.
