Three men killed in two shootings in Kansas City; 2015 homicides top 100

Two men died and a third was wounded in a shooting Monday night in Kansas City. Later, a man believed to be in his late teens was found shot to death in another part of the city.

The homicides were the city’s 2015 total to 102. Last year, Kansas City recorded 81 homicides.

Officers responded to a reported shooting shortly after 9 p.m. Monday in the 73rd block of Wabash Avenue, police said. They found a man lying at the side of the street dead of an apparent gunshot wound.

A while later, two men suffering from gunshot injuries arrived at a local hospital, police said. One man died at the hospital, and the second man was seriously injured. Both men were in their early 20s. Police said they believe these men were shot during the incident on Wabash.

Officers were dispatched at 11 p.m. to the 400 block of Maple on a report of gunshots, police said. They found a man with a fatal gunshot wound lying near the rear of an apartment building in the middle of the block.

The fatal shootings Monday night followed two separate homicides early Sunday morning.

Police said Monday that Romero Palacios, 17, of Kansas City, died Sunday after he was taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital with a gunshot wound shortly before 4 a.m.

Police identified Sunday’s other homicide victim as Parker Willingham, 31, of Kansas City. Officers responding to reports of gunshots found his body shortly after 4 a.m. in a driveway of a residence in the 3400 block of Park Avenue.

Officers urged anyone with information regarding these homicides to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

This story was originally published December 15, 2015 at 12:07 AM with the headline "Three men killed in two shootings in Kansas City; 2015 homicides top 100."