Kansas City police were investigating a double homicide Thursday night after two men were found shot to death in separate parking lots inside the Blue Ridge Crossing shopping center in the Sterling Acres neighborhood.
At approximately 9:20 p.m., officers were dispatched to the scene of a shooting on the city’s eastern border with Independence near 42nd Street and Sterling Avenue, said Sgt. Jake Pecchina, department spokesman.
Officers found the first shooting victim in a car in a parking lot near an IHOP restaurant. A security guard was assisting when officers arrived, and the victim was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Pecchina said.
Additional officers arriving at the scene were directed to a second shooting victim approximately 200 yards away in another parking lot between a Lowe’s hardware store and Walmart. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Pecchina said.
Many details of the shooting remained unclear Thursday, though police believe at least one of the victims was shot in the parking lot. There were no reports of gunfire at any of the stores, Pecchina said.
Police did not have a suspect in custody or any suspect information to immediately provide.
Parts of the large shopping complex remained closed off with police tape Thursday night while crime scene personnel were out collecting evidence and homicide detectives searched for potential witnesses and surveillance video.
A drone provided by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office was also used to sweep the area as the scene spanned roughly the size of two football fields, Pecchina said.
“You obviously have a lot of business here. So surveillance cameras or video footage would definitely be something investigators are hoping for. And it was a little late at night, so there probably wasn’t a lot of car and pedestrian traffic here. But if he saw… “Anyone who hears or hears anything (and leaves the area) is definitely asked to contact investigators.”
These killings mark the 166th and 167th homicides in Kansas City of 2023. According to the data held by Al-Najma. As of Thursday, the city remains on track to surpass the number of homicides seen in 2022, which was the second deadliest in its history with 171 people killed.
Kansas City Police We would ask anyone with information to contact homicide detectives directly at 816-234-5043 or call Advice hotline Anonymous at 816-474-TIPS.
