KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Sunday was a deadly day in Kansas City, Missouri, as the city's police department investigated three homicides occurring within six hours from each other.
The first was at East 12th Street and Grand Boulevard around 4 a.m. In less than two hours, the second one happened just after 5:30 in the morning at 115 Northwest Harlem Road. The third happened at the Georgian Court Apartments on the 400 block on East Armour Boulevard & Gillham Road.
"We will continue to investigate them we, would ask for the public and the people that are involved in this activity to knock it off, to stop," KCPD Capt. David Jackson said.
This brings the number of homicides in KCMO to 23. On this day last year, the city also had 23 homicides. 2020 went on to be the deadliest year in KCMO history with 176 homicides.
"There’s been lots of conversation about making sure that we don’t repeat numbers from last year, "Branden Mims, Director of Crisis Intervention for the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime, said. "I think everybody is hoping that we don’t break records again or even match that record come anywhere near that record."
Mims said each killing impacts the community. "With every homicide we lose whatever gift that that person had, whatever they could have contributed to the community, it’s so much loss that it is difficult to put into words," he said.
For Mims, the homicides leave more questions on how to stop this violence from happening than answers.
"We didn’t get here overnight and it’s not a problem that’s going to solve itself overnight. we have to continue to work at it to drive that number down," Mims said.
It's a challenge plaguing the community, but Mims remains optimistic the tide will turn, "Hold on, hope is on the way."
