KCPD responds to homicide at 12th Street and Benton

Administrator

URGENT: On Saturday morning, just after 4 a.m., September 7, the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) responded to 12th and Benton in Independence Plaza, responding to what appeared to be a non-injury crash.

However, after arriving on scene, officers discovered an unoccupied vehicle west of the 12th Street intersection. That vehicle also showed signs of wreckage, including possible gunshots, which may have entered the vehicle, injuring its occupants, according to a KCPD news release.

After further investigation and searching, officers located an unconscious adult male with gunshot wounds near an apartment building diagonally south and east of the said intersection.

This individual was pronounced deceased by emergency medical services (EMS) arriving at the scene.

The victim was later identified by investigators as Michael B. Waylee. He was 20 years old.

After the preliminary investigation, officers discovered the original vehicle was traveling westbound at a high rate of speed around 1 a.m. on 12th Street. While crossing its intersection with Benton Boulevard, the driver struck a vehicle, causing it to lose control and hit another car, which was parked west of Benton. The original driver fled the scene after the crash, according to the KCPD media unit.

At the same time, shots were fired at the corner of 12th Street and Hardesty. An adult male was taken to a local hospital with gunshot wounds. His injuries are classified as non-life threatening at this time.

KCPD is actively investigating a possible connection between these two incidents.

If you have any information, please contact Homicide Detectives directly at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS. A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for information submitted anonymously to the TIPS Hotline.

This investigation is still ongoing.