Man fatally shot in downtown Kansas City after apparent verbal altercation, police say

Kansas City police responded to a shooting call shortly after 12:30 a.m. Monday where they found a man unresponsive on the corner of the intersection of 12th and Locust streets.

A passerby saw the victim unresponsive, police said. Emergency responders declared the adult male shooting victim dead at the scene, police spokesman Jacob Becchina said in an email.

Preliminary investigation suggests the man and an unknown suspect were involved in a verbal altercation when the suspect shot the victim, Becchina said. The victim’s name and age have not been released.

The suspect left the scene, which is near the Jackson County Courthouse, headed in an unknown direction, according to police.

The killing marks the 78th homicide this year in Kansas City, according to data maintained by The Star. There had been 102 homicides by the same time last year, which was the deadliest in the city’s history with 182 homicides.

The police encourage anyone with information to contact its homicide unit at 816-234-5043 or the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. A reward of up to $25,000 is offered for information that leads to an arrest in the case.

Gun violence is the subject of a statewide journalism project The Star is undertaking in Missouri this year in partnership with the national service program Report for America and sponsored in part by Missouri Foundation for Health. As part of this project, The Star seeks the community’s help.

To contribute, visit Report for America online at reportforamerica.org.

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