‘A free spirit’: Family of Kansas City man fatally shot last month waits for answers
In the last 24 hours of his life, David Tate spent the day with his brother John Tate – brunching, laughing and watching a TV comedy competition.
The siblings were close and at 34, David Tate, the baby of the family, still brought his laundry over to his brother’s house.
He was killed later after they saw each other on April 23 at an apartment in the 4100 block of McGee Street.
“We spent a lot of time together,” John Tate said. “He’d come over and hang out. He had nephews and nieces he would see so we spent a good bit of time together.”
The two spent part of their childhood in Kansas City, and David Tate eventually settled in the city as an adult, with his brother nearby in Olathe with his girlfriend and two children.
David Tate was beloved by everyone who knew him and known for his sense of humor, John Tate said.
“He was a bit of a free spirit, very funny, always had the perfect thing to say for any awkward silence to get the room cracking up,” John said. “He was always cheering up the place with his humor, which at times could be dark or inappropriate but it always got people laughing.”
But David Tate was more than just the life of the party – he was also a hard worker, John Tate said.
He worked at KC Roofing and Renovating Solutions, a contracting company.
“Anywhere he worked, he definitely gave it his all and everywhere he worked everybody enjoyed him,” John Tate said.
After police showed up at his house to inform him about his brother’s death, John Tate called the rest of the family, who live out of state.
On April 30, they held a memorial celebration at Nimble Brewing, David Tate’s favorite spot in town.
“We just weren’t ready to be without him,” John Tate said. “We just spent our time sharing our stories and funny things that we remember. It was real nice to see his friends and co-workers and other people who cared about him celebrate him and share their experiences.”
Police took a suspect into custody shortly after David Tate was shot.
The suspect was later released. John Tate said police informed him it could take more than a month to investigate the case and determine if charges will be filed.
“Our family isn’t kind of happy dealing with that aspect of it, feeling like nothing’s happening. We’ve got this huge loss, it’s just hard to fathom that this could happen,” John Tate said. “And then it just feels like nothing’s happening.”