KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A woman who spent one day on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list was arrested Wednesday during a traffic stop in Florida.
Police received a tip that KaShawn Nicola Roper, 50, was in High Springs, Florida.
She was arrested about 10:30 a.m. without incident and is in the custody of the Alachua County Sheriff's Office.
The High Springs, Florida, Police Department made the arrest, with help from the Alachua County Sheriff's Department and the U.S. Marshals Office.
“The High Springs Police Department commends the strong collaboration between local and federal law enforcement partners in this case. This outcome reflects the importance of coordinated efforts, shared intelligence and mutual trust in protecting our communities. We are especially proud of the professionalism and vigilance demonstrated by our HSPD officers during a routine traffic stop,” High Springs Police Chief Antoine Sheppard said in a news release Wednesday from FBI offices in Kansas City, Missouri, and Jacksonville, Florida.
At a news conference Tuesday, leading law enforcement officials — including FBI KC Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeff Berkebile, KCPD Chief Stacey Graves and Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson — announced Roper had been added to the 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.
“Today’s capture of KaShawn Roper from Kansas City, Missouri, who was put on FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List less than 24 hours ago, is a testament to the strength and connectivity of American law enforcement,” Kansas City Missouri Police Chief Stacey Graves stated in Wednesday's news release. “I am proud of the great work of all law enforcement involved which culminated in the swift capture of Roper. Furthermore, I am thankful for the longstanding partnership between the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department and the FBI.”
She was charged with second-degree murder in Jackson County Court in September 2020 in the shooting death of Jazmyn Herion, 23. Roper was also charged with two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
KCPD officers were sent around 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 23, 2020, to Research Medical Center, where shooting victims had been taken in a private vehicle.
Two of the five people in the vehicle suffered gunshot wounds.
Henrion died of her injuries. A second woman suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder but survived.
A witness told police they were called by “D” to go to his house to celebrate “D” and his mother (Roper) moving to Texas. The residence was not familiar to all passengers in the car, according to a court document.
Witnesses said Roper was talking “crazy” about those inside the vehicle, saying they were “eyeing” or “mean mugging” her.
The driver said she didn’t like how Roper was acting, especially because Roper was known to carry a gun, so they prepared to leave.
MORE | FBI 10 Most Wanted Fugitives poster for Roper
Witnesses said Roper reached inside her bag before the gunfire began.
Surveillance video from a nearby security system showed Roper pointing a handgun at the vehicle as it drove away.
The video also showed Roper fleeing the area in an unknown vehicle.
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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.
