Kansas City man shot, killed walking down the street mid-day Sunday, police say

A shooting took the life of a man mid-day Sunday in Kansas City. His death marked the sixth homicide the city has suffered in the past week, according to data tracked by The Star.

Officers were called just before noon Sunday to the area of East 54th and Olive streets on a shooting, said Sgt. Jake Becchina, a spokesman with the Kansas City Police Department.

There police found a man in his 60s suffering from a gunshot wound, Beccina said. The man was lying unresponsive between the sidewalk and the street.

The victim was taken to the hospital where he was soon declared dead, Becchina said.

After a preliminary investigation Sunday, police believe the victim was walking down the sidewalk when at least one person in a vehicle pulled up next to him, then shot at him multiple times, Becchina said.

No description of the suspect vehicle was immediately available.

“People are familiar with people in the neighborhood,” Becchina said. “If this is somebody from the neighborhood, I’d really hope that the neighbors here stand up if they did see something and stand up and speak out for that victim on behalf of him.”

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the homicide unit at 816-234-5043 or the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

Robert Cornelius, 50, who’s lived on the block since 2017, said he heard about eight or nine shots late Sunday morning as he was getting ready to go to the store.

Cornelius said he has anxiety, and hearing gunshots so close to his home doesn’t help.

“That’s why I see a therapist and everything,” he said. “That’s why I got me a security system for my house when I’m not here.”

Cornelius said he wants to see more officer’s patrolling the neighborhood. He wants to see the mayor visit his block. He fears being struck by a stray bullet. He dreams of sitting on his back deck in peace.

“We don’t want that stuff in our neighborhood ... we don’t know these people,” he told The Star in the hours after the shooting. “We don’t want them over here. We don’t need them over here wreaking havoc.”

The latest killing marks the 143th homicide this year in Kansas City, according to data maintained by The Star. By this time last year — the deadliest year on record — the city had suffered 175 homicides.

“Each one of these is someone who started their day and didn’t plan to have this happen,” Becchina said.

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 will seek the community’s help.

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