KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A spike of gun-related violence this weekend took its toll on leaders working to make Kansas City, Missouri, a safer city.
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Michelle "Shelly" Norris, co-founder of Corey's Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing resources for the families of homicide victims, knows far too well the feeling of senseless violence.
"This is an abnormal situation," said Norris. "The homicide rate is skyrocketing."
As of June 22, Kansas City, Missouri, has reported 78 homicides, passing 2024, 2022 and 2021 year to date.
"This cannot be our norm," Norris told KSHB 41.
This weekend's wave of violence is a coincidence, according to Norris.
She suspects the warmer weather has something to do with it.
The Kansas City area has been under a Heat Advisory all weekend.
But, the problem isn't only the heat, Norris told KSHB 41 News Reporter Ryan Gamboa.
KCPD crime data reports, 14 of this year's homicides are the product of domestic violence, 28 are a result of an argument.
"If we can put more money into the investigation and being able to go into our background, maybe we could take some of this generational violence," explained Norris. "Fourteen are domestic violence related. How many kids were in those houses watching that 'DV' happen, that domestic violence? How many of those kids are being taught that this is OK? How many of the people who committed these 14 homicides from domestic violence were taught that by their parents?"
According to Norris, there have been 750 unsolved homicides in Kansas City since 1970.
Her greatest concern is there isn't enough funding to close the open cases, and it's creating a society of violent individuals.
"How many of those from 1970 have had children that see that kind of a behavior from their parent, or have witnessed it, etc? Now they've grown up to be somebody that's old enough to have children of their own," she said. "Number one, we need to clean up what we've already got. The other part, is you're talking about being able to do conflict resolution between people that are arguing, and being able to give them some kind of tools where they're able to do this in the community, versus having to do it with a gun."
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas met with members of the media at a World Cup celebration on Sunday, addressing this weekend's crime spree.
"This year we have made real progress in nonfatal shootings in Kansas City," Lucas said. "The thing that challenges us, particularly at 18th and Vine and some other areas, are those who are bringing firearms to big public gatherings."
The gun violence incident at 18th and Vine followed a Saturday evening Juneteenth celebration that ended at 10 p.m.
KSHB 41 News Reporter Ryan Gamboa spent Sunday afternoon visiting with residents in the area, none of whom agreed to be interviewed on camera.
One resident told Gamboa, he was awake when the shots rang out at the intersection of 19th and Vine.
He added people in the street were frantically banging on his front door. When he opened it, they all ran inside to take cover.
The resident told Gamboa he saw individuals in the street with guns, all of which appeared to be young.
Another resident explained, enforcing the curfew in the 19th and Vine District would be a positive resolution.
A woman Gamboa spoke with in nearby apartments said, it isn't often police patrol the area unless they're called.
Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney Melesa Johnson issued a lengthy statement on Sunday condemning this weekend's acts of violence.
This past weekend, Jackson County—particularly Kansas City—was rocked by an unacceptable wave of gun violence. Read my statement below. pic.twitter.com/hsZ7Kt9oLH
— Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson (@JACOProsecutor) June 22, 2025
Johnson's statement called the community to action to curb violence in Kansas City - a similar sentiment being passed on to others at Corey's Network.
"In Kansas City, there are more helpers than I've seen anywhere else. There are more people that love and care and want to help and they want this to stop than anywhere else that I've been," she added. "We see more people that care about each other, right here in Kansas City, instead of 'Killer City', we want to see it be 'Caring City.' It's going to have to take people that are no longer afraid to step outside of their safety zone."
On Monday, Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas, Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson, Kansas City, Missouri, City Manager Mario Vasquez, and KCPD Chief Stacey Graves will address members of the media about a path forward.
For more information on Corey's Network and how to donate to those impacted by violence, click here.
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