One dead following shooting in east Kansas City, near I-70
A man is dead following a shooting in east Kansas City Thursday evening near I-70 and Mount Saint Mary’s Cemetery.
Officers with the Kansas City Police Department responded to the area of East 20th Street and Monroe Avenue just after 5:30 p.m. on reports of gunshots, department spokesperson Capt. Jake Becchina said in a news release.
Emergency dispatchers received several calls regarding the incident, Becchina said, before receiving a report of a shooting victim found in “a wooded area of a series of vacant lots in the 2000 block of Monroe.”
Officers found a man who had been shot and was unresponsive. He was declared dead at the scene, Becchina said.
A preliminary investigation indicated the shooting occurred on East 20th Street, between Askew and Monroe avenues, Becchina said. The suspect ran south to the wooded area.
The shooting marks Kansas City’s 15th killing in 2026, according to data tracked by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings. That compares to 21 homicides at this time last year.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to call KCPD homicide detectives at 816-234-5043, or the anonymous Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).
A reward of up to $25,000 may be available for information submitted through the TIPS Hotline, Becchina said.
