KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A violent Christmas weekend in Kansas City, Missouri, pushed the city to its second deadliest year on record, only behind 2020.
The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department responded to two homicides: one on Christmas Eve and and one on Christmas Day.
On Christmas Eve, officers first responded to east 41st Street and Monroe Avenue on a shooting at around 7:30 a.m.
There they found Antonio E. Griddine, 30, suffering from gunshot wounds. He died at the scene.
The next day, KCPD responded to the 4900 block of Raytown Road on reports of shots fired.
At the scene, officers found Clifford Harris, 38, dead inside of a vehicle.
The deaths of Harris and Griddine marked the city's 155 and 156 homicides.
In 2020, KCMO finished with `179 homicides, which shattered a previous record of 153 which was set in 1993.
With less than a week to go in 2021, the city stands at 156, meaning it's the second most homicides ever recorded in city history.
On 10 separate occasions in 2021, the city recorded at least three homicides in a day.
Those days included:
- Feb. 17
- Feb. 28
- March 6
- March 20
- May 23
- June 8
- June 27
- July 15
- Oct. 2
- Dec. 6
On June 8, one of those victims was 15-year-old Terrell Bell, who was just one of 21 victims who were 18 years or younger.
KSHB 41 News has reached out to KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas and KCPD for comment on the matter. This story will be updated with their response.
For a full break down of the homicides in the Kansas City metropolitan area, people can visit the KSHB 41 News homicide tracker.
—
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015.
