homicide

Jackson County Juvenile Court released 17-year-old “L.M.” last Wednesday, without comment, after more than three months in custody. A second juvenile, 15, is still being held in the killing of Shaun Brady, a popular Irish pub owner.

Sgt. Sarah Roque was first reported missing from Fort Leonard Wood in central Missouri earlier this week. Army authorities said they have arrested a person of interest in the case.

Rosilyn Temple founded KC Mothers in Charge — a nonprofit that supports the families of homicide victims — 10 years ago, after the death of her own son. Through her grief, she found purpose by ensuring no family felt the confusion and loneliness she did standing at the crime scene.

In the final few minutes of a Kansas City Board of Police meeting where juvenile crime and juvenile victims dominated the discussions, Mayor Quinton Lucas teared up and left before the meeting ended.

Melesa Johnson, who is running for Jackson County Prosecutor, has been labeled as a “bigot” and accused of trying to cut the Kansas City Police Department's budget. She believes her opponents are trying to discredit her with older white male voters.

Young people in Kansas City are feeling the effects of violent crime. Youth Ambassadors, a Kansas City nonprofit, is helping kids work through the trauma, build resilience and have a voice in their community.

City leaders are bringing back what they say is an improved “focused deterrence” program to help reduce homicides and gun violence. But critics point to the model's modest, short-term success rates and the way it often targets minorities for “draconian punishment.”

Brian Dorsey is set to be executed by the state of Missouri today. Gov. Mike Parson denied his request for clemency despite support from corrections officers and a retired Missouri Supreme Court judge. Dorsey was convicted of killing his cousin and her husband in central Missouri, but his defense team says the original trial lawyers had conflicts of interest.

Elected officials, law enforcement and community organizations will come together on Friday and Saturday for a public safety symposium and community forum on public safety and violence in Kansas City. The goal of the event is to "build on one comprehensive plan" to address those issues.

Community members are outraged over a cellphone video that captured off-duty KCPD officers pushing a handcuffed Black woman face-first into the ground and calling her an “animal." Speaking on KCUR's Up To Date, Police Chief Stacey Graves said the incident is being reviewed internally and by outside law enforcement.

A Kansas City lawmaker has tried for years to crack down on celebratory gunfire with Blair's Law, named for a Kansas City girl who lost her life from a bullet fired randomly skyward. The problem gets worse when the Chiefs play — and win — playoff games.

Kansas City, Missouri, has exceeded its record for deadliest year, with 185 homicides in 2023. The city's 51st victim, who was killed in April, ran a popular fish restaurant and taco truck, and was a champion pickleball player.