‘Incredibly discouraging’: Kansas City reels from 3 homicides in just over 24 hours

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Three people are dead in Kansas City in just over 24 hours - a violent start to 2026 that has police searching for answers.

The Kansas City Police Department says the latest victim was shot and killed around 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8, after a confrontation in an apartment complex parking lot.

Police say the incident took place near Monroe and E. Meyer Blvd. - about a mile west of the Kansas City Zoo. This marks the third homicide with only 1 suspect in custody.

What happened

Emergency crews indicate they were called to the scene as multiple 911 callers reported the sounds of shots being fired.

When first responders arrived, they say they found the victim lying unresponsive in the parking lot behind an apartment building. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Kansas City Police Officer Alayna Gonzalez says several people were in the parking lot when a confrontation began. However, it escalated to gunfire.

“Those injuries were unfortunately fatal,” Gonzalez continued. “And there were no lifesaving measures that could have been done by EMS when they got here or officers on scene at that point in time.”

Police say the victim has yet to be identified; however, they believe he was an adult.

Investigation status

As of 4:25 p.m. on Thursday, police note that they have no suspects in custody and no persons of interest identified.

Homicide detectives and crime scene personnel remain on scene collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses.

Two other homicides in just over 24 hours

This is the third Kansas City homicide of 2026.

Around 11:20 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 7, police say a road rage incident turned deadly and marked the city’s first homicide of the year. One suspect has since been taken into custody.

Then, around 1 a.m. on Thursday, investigators indicate that they were called to the area of 16th and Fremont Ave. They found a dispute over car repairs escalated to a fatal shooting. This suspect also remains on the run.

‘Incredibly discouraging’

Officer Gonzalez says the spike in violence is alarming after Kansas City saw a significant gap in homicides at the end of 2025.

“Even towards the end of the new year in 2025, we had quite a long gap where we weren’t experiencing this level of violent crime,” Gonzales stated. “And then here we are coming into the beginning of the new year and we’ve got 3 within 24 hours - that’s incredibly discouraging.”

“We’ve worked really hard as a community, as a city, as a police department - all of us together in unity to try to curb violent crime,” she concluded. “And it seemed that we were making some progress.”

What you can do

Police are asking anyone with information about any of these incidents to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for an up to $25,000 reward if their tip leads to a conviction.