One man dies at hospital after shooting in northeast Kansas City neighborhood
Update: Kansas City police identified the victim as 54-year-old Luis Cruz, according to a press release from department spokesperson Capt. Jake Becchina.
A man died at a hospital after a shooting in Kansas City’s Northeast neighborhood Saturday morning, police said.
Officers responded just before 2 a.m. to the 3900 block of St. John Avenue on a reported shooting. When they arrived, officers found a man on the sidewalk suffering from a gunshot wound, said Sgt. Phil DiMartino, a police spokesman.
Paramedics transported the man to a hospital with injures police believed to be life-threatening. Just before 3 a.m., medical staff pronounced the man dead, DiMartino said.
A preliminary investigation indicates that there was an “interaction” between several people in the area before gunfire erupted and struck the man.
Police have not yet publicly identified the man who died.
No one was in custody as of Saturday morning, police said.
Investigators are searching for witnesses and crime scene personnel are processing the scene for evidence.
The killing is Kansas City’s 138th homicide of 2025, according to data maintained by The Star. At this time last year, the city had recorded 147 homicides.
Anyone with information is urged to contact homicide unit detectives directly at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-8477.
This story was originally published December 27, 2025 at 8:31 AM.
