UPDATE: Kansas City police have identified the victim as 34-year-old Justin Barstow.
—
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Police are investigating a homicide Wednesday morning after a man was shot and killed in Kansas City.
Around 3:30 a.m. Kansas City police responded N.W. 63rd Terrace near Lenox Avenue for a report of shots fired.
Officers found a car that had crashed into a pole. Inside the vehicle, police found a man with gunshot wounds.
Emergency crews pronounced the man dead at the scene. KCPD has not yet identified the victim.
Residents said the shooting happened in what’s usually a quiet Northland neighborhood, but early Wednesday it was anything but.
“At about 3:15, I heard yelling, arguing over here on the south side of our house,” said Shayla Browning who witnessed the shooting.
Browning woke up as her husband was set to go to work. In a matter of minutes, the shouting and arguing turned deadly.
“Heard a gunshot, got my phone, ran back to the window to see because I had a very clear view of the whole situation,” Browning said.
Video from Browning’s porch camera captured the moments after someone shot the man, and he tried to drive away before crashing into the streetlight. You see an officer running to the man’s aid, but he died at the scene.
“How does it feel to know that happened right in front of my house? It’s terrifying,” Browning said.
It’s one of several homicides in about 72 hours in Kansas City. Mayor Quinton Lucas said he and other local leaders won’t give up until Kansas City is a safer city.
Wednesday morning, KCPD Chief Stacey Graves and Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker joined Lucas to address the ongoing problem, begging for the public’s help.
“We need the communities help,” Graves said. “Not only is it the right thing to do, but you can get a $25,000 cash reward while remaining anonymous.”
Kansas City has seen 75 homicides so far this year, according to FOX4 data. That’s more than the city had recorded at this same time in 2020, which was the city’s deadliest year ever.
“It’s very frustrating, and it’s very sad,” Browning said. “It does make us feel like we need to go even farther away.”
The mayor said every agency in Kansas City is working to address this problem, including by hosting events through his office and with KCPD in every part of the city.
The goal is a proactive approach instead of a reactive response, but of course, KC leaders said it’s only with the public’s help that the city can “break the cycle.”
Police have not released any additional details about a potential suspect.
Anyone who witnessed the shooting or has more information about the incident is encouraged to call homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or submit a tip anonymously at 816-474-TIPS.
