Kansas City man sentenced to life in prison for fatal midtown shooting
A Jackson County judge sentenced Tyron Lee Sims, 62, of Kansas City, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for a fatal shooting in the city’s midtown area in the spring of 2024, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
During a hearing last Friday, Judge Patrick C. Edwards also handed Sims a three-year sentence for armed criminal action in the killing of 45-year-old Willie Spencer . Edwards ordered the sentences to be served consecutively.
A Jackson County jury in September found Sims guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Clothing and surveillance video allegedly linked Sims to the fatal shooting.
According to court documents, police responding to a report of shots fired around 5 a.m., on March 20, 2024, found Spencer, who had been shot, with an emergency medical crew near the intersection of East 38th and Wyandotte streets. Spencer died at the scene.
Surveillance video showed Spencer walking in the area before being chased by a man later identified as Sims. At one point, Spencer fell and Sims approached him. Other surveillance footage captured the sound of gunfire and showed Sims fleeing through a McDonald’s parking lot and then north on Broadway to an apartment building.
Another surveillance camera recorded Sims dialing a number on a call box before being buzzed inside. Police arrested Sims the next day. After obtaining a search warrant, police found a black hat and clothing that matched those seen on the man in the surveillance video.
