KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Twenty four hours after someone shot a gun three times inside the Independence Center, police continue to look for a suspect.
Police are still combing through surveillance video to find the person responsible for causing panic at the mall yesterday.
There were no injuries in Monday’s shooting, but that hasn’t been the case in the past.
Previous coverage from KSHB 41 show an abundance of incidents on shootings and disturbances at the mall.
A notable double shooting in 2012 led to a closely followed trial. A jury found the suspect guilty of second-degree assault.
Then a 2018 deadly shooting. The victim was just 17.
The murder was followed up with large disturbances in late 2020. There were a few arrests and the mall started to implement various curfews.
January 2021 started off with violence. Two shootings at the mall in two weeks. Again, mall ownership changed the curfew to focus on minors.
Monday afternoon’s shooting is just the latest bookend in this cyclical story.
Rosilyn Temple, with KC Mothers in Charge, says there’s a greater issue than mall security at play here.
“The problem is the people. It’s the society. It’s the people,” Temple said. “It’s not guns kill people. People kill people. Until we address that problem as people and people speak up about people we know have issues, we have to stop turning our heads when it’s our own people.”
In a statement this afternoon, Independence City Manager Zach Walker said in part:
IPD continues to work with Mall Management to identify and implement security solutions. Acts of violence such as those displayed on Monday are not welcome in our community, and we will continue to review our City Code for additional security enhancements while working with Independence Center management to discourage future incidents
KSHB 41 reached out to mall management to find out what changes they plan to make, if any. This story will be updated if a response is received.
—
For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.
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.
