Teen facing murder charges in man’s shooting, dropping off body at KC hospital
A teenage boy is facing second-degree murder charges following a fatal June shooting at an apartment complex in Kansas City’s Cooley Highlands neighborhood.
Anthony Moore Jr. is 16-years-old and faces one count each of second-degree murder and armed criminal action, according to a Jackson County court document.
Around 11 a.m. on June 7, staff at an area hospital notified Kansas City Police Department officers of a shooting victim that arrived at the hospital, according to a probable cause statement in support of Moore’s arrest.
The victim, 23-year-old Alejandro Meza Jr., was dropped off at the hospital in a private vehicle, according to the probable cause statement. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Detectives were contacted by a witness, the probable cause statement alleges, who told investigators he saw two men and two women carrying a man, who appeared to be injured, from a building in the 3000 block of Northeast 37th Street.
The witness told officers he heard “loud yelling and what sounded like a gunshot,” before the group carried the man to a dark-colored Chevrolet Malibu, according to court documents.
Some of the group got into the vehicle, court documents allege, and some ran around the building out of the witness’ sight.
Investigators responded to the building, where they found “a large amount of apparent blood” inside the entry door to the building, according to the probable cause statement.
A resident at the apartment complex provided detectives with an audio recording of an argument, allegedly between the involved parties, in which someone can be heard saying, “You shot him in the neck,” the probable cause statement claims.
A second witness, who was at the apartment at the time of the shooting, contacted investigators, according to the probable cause statement. The man told investigators he arrived at the apartment with Meza between 4-4:30 a.m.
When the pair arrived, the owner of the residence, along with the owner’s brother, sister and a friend to the sister, were already at the apartment, according to the probable cause statement.
While the group was “partying,” court documents allege, multiple fights broke out between different people. One person who had been fighting left the party early and didn’t return.
The witness told investigators he woke up later that morning to the sound of gunshots, before he saw a man, allegedly identified as Moore, holding a gun to Meza, according to the probable cause statement. He allegedly heard the suspect say he would “keep shooting, but the gun jammed.”
The witness was afraid the gun would be pointed at him and left the scene. He later contacted detectives from the hospital.
In video surveillance from the hospital, the group dropped Meza off in a dark Chevrolet Malibu with an Iowa license plate, court documents allege. Two men got out of the vehicle, one matching Moore’s description, and carried Meza inside.
The vehicle was eventually apprehended in Des Moines, Iowa, according to court documents. It was registered to a relative of Moore’s
Officers arrested Moore and a female relative, who was the alleged driver of the Malibu, on June 8 in relation to the incident, according to court documents. The name of the relative is redacted in court documents, and it’s unclear if she faces charges relating to the incident.
During his arrest, Moore allegedly asked officers, “If you don’t find a gun in there, you can’t charge me?” according to the probable cause statement.
No further court dates are currently set in the case.
This story was originally published October 21, 2025 at 4:11 PM.
