KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers Kansas City, Missouri. Following the arrest of an FBI-most-wanted fugitive connected to KCMO, she heard from the Jackson County Prosecutor's office about its goal to change "snitching culture". Share your story idea with Alyssa.
—
On July 26, 1992, 18-year-old Mark Davis was killed in a drive-by shooting near 49th and Virginia Ave.
Davis was the 91st homicide that year. Nearly 34 years later, his family has no answers about his murder.
"My son got hit in the chest and it pierced his heart," Corlis Davis, his mother, said. "It has affected generations of people."
Davis adopted a street in her son's memory following his death.
According to her, a group of people standing outside with her son saw the shooter and the vehicle.
"I don’t think I’ll ever find out because no one is going to snitch," Davis said. "In my mind, I know God knows everything, and I really believe whoever that person is, is struggling really bad or already dead."
The "snitch code," according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, is preventing cases from being prosecuted.
In the three years before Prosecutor Melesa Johnson’s administration, the office says it declined to charge 218 cases due to lack of witness cooperation.
A separate case this week connected to Kansas City prompted this conversation — KaShawn Roper, a fugitive who was on the run from law enforcement for six years.
Federal and local authorities in Florida arrested Roper on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after placing her on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.
There was a reward of up to $1 million from the FBI for information leading to her arrest.
Roper is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of 23-year-old Jazmyn Herion.
KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson reached out to FBI Kansas City to ask whether there were known witnesses who didn’t come forward, and whether there are any pending or filed charges for anyone who may have helped Roper avoid police custody.
The agency said it cannot comment on any witnesses that may or may not have been involved.
"When you look at the KaShawn Roper situation, where for almost six years she was able to evade law enforcement for killing a young woman with children, our community didn’t want to bring the killer of a young woman with children to justice for her alleged actions. We have to sit with that," Prosecutor Johnson said.
Johnson told KSHB 41 her office is making efforts during “call-ins” with known offenders in the focused deterrence program who follow the “snitch code."
"We need to tag in unorthodox partners. We need to tag in people who have the courage and background to stand up and say, 'I lived that life, I want to be safe,'" Johnson said. "If we can push this paradigm shift, we will see safer communities."
Jackson County has witness protection, relocation services and a crime victim’s compensation fund to protect witnesses who choose to speak up.
Mothers like Corlis Davis acknowledge she may never know who took her son's life, but a credible witness could make a case.
"Someone would be held accountable and in jail. All it took is someone to say what they saw," she said.
If you have information and want or need to remain anonymous, you can 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.
—
