KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Surveillance video and social media posts were key in connecting a Kansas City, Missouri, man to a June 9 shooting.
Sergio Isaac Insunza Sanchez, 24, is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of Mark Simmons, 53.
Police were called shortly after 6 a.m. on June 9 to the area near Independence and Monroe avenues on the report of a shooting.
Upon arrival, officers found Simmons suffering from gunshot trauma in an alleyway. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
Detectives on the scene located one spent LC rifle shell casing that was collected as evidence.
Days later, detectives spoke with Simmons at the hospital. He told police he was inside a homeless camp when a man approached him from outside the fence, according to a court document.
Simmons said he told the man he was the only person inside, and the man became agitated when told he was not allowed inside the camp.
According to the court document, Simmons saw the man crouch down with an object in his hands and heard a “pop” before he realized he had been struck by gunfire.
Surveillance footage from the area showed a white SUV pull up to the alleyway minutes before audio captured the sound of a single gunshot. The SUV was then seen leaving the scene minutes later, per the court document.
City license plate readers led detectives to discover the SUV was connected to Insunza Sanchez, who had recently been stopped in May and February in the vehicle. He was arrested in February for possession of a controlled substance and was documented with a firearm during both stops, per the court document.
Detectives said his Instagram page revealed several posts with firearms, as well as a post on June 10 where he was wearing similar clothing that was observed on June 9 via city cameras.
KCPD Gang Squad detectives and ATF agents assisted with additional information in the case, such as the address of his residence. Surveillance footage helped detectives confirm the SUV returned to the residence nine minutes after the gunshot was fired; the residence is approximately eight minutes from the crime scene.
Detectives were notified Thursday, June 18, that Simmons had succumbed to his injuries. His death shifted the investigation from an aggravated assault investigation to a homicide investigation.
On Friday, Insunza Sanchez posted a video to Instagram in the SUV with an AR-style firearm in his lap.
Later that day, KCPD SWAT officers took Insunza Sanchez into custody at his home.
In police custody, Insunza Sanchez admitted he went to the homeless camp to purchase meth from the dealer known as the “Prince of Kansas City.” He claimed the man inside yelled at him and turned toward him, so he fired a shot inside in the man’s direction.
Insunza Sanchez also said he was unaware the man died, according to the court document.
He is being held in the Jackson County Detention Center on a $200,000, cash-only bond.
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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
