KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A shooting in the 18th and Vine District left one man dead and four others injured on Saturday morning. For Christopher Nickens, who works at 180V Barber Shop and Salon, the news was frustrating.
"Sad man, hopefully this isn’t what it’s come to ultimately,” he said. “I planned to come here today to cut hair and, you know, interact with the community, but I don’t know. It’s a sad thing man. [I] hope we can do better.”
Nickens was cleaning up trash left over from the night before, and wants this violence to stop.
"You can’t control everyone,” he said. “I mean, you got some on one side of the spectrum, we want to advocate for positivity and do the right thing, but everyone is not for that for whatever reason.”
A few blocks to the east of the scene, a Centennial United Methodist Church offered drive-thru communion.
“There’s a need for us as churches to try to address the brokenness that exists in our community, so that’s what we’re doing out here,” Associate Pastor Jeffrey Williams said.
This marks the 76th homicide in Kansas City, Missouri, this year. On this date last year, there were 51 homicides.
"It’s sad to see that even in the midst of the pandemic we’re dealing with, it’s still an epidemic of violence that were struggling with at the same time,” said Brandon Mims, director of crisis intervention for Ad Hoc Group Against Crime.
Mims also said some of the violence is hard to prevent.
"Really, the leading cause of these shootings and homicides are arguments and there is two people who disagree who can’t get along for whatever the case is,” Mims said. “They can’t get over their conflict.”
It’s another deadly shooting in a district trying to spark change.
"It’s a very good place, but we just got to do better and come together and make a positive change,” Nickens said.
Bars were closed at the time of the shooting, and police do not believe the gathering was related to any business. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact KCPD. Police are offering up to a $25,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
