KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A woman was found dead in the 11100 block of College after a shooting late Saturday morning.
Police officers were sent to an ambulance call at 11:13 a.m. Saturday.
Officers discovered a woman dead with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Police later identified the woman as Elizabeth K. Richards, 19.
Joseph Gonzalez, 23, of Kansas City is charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, endangering the welfare of a child and attempted armed criminal action.
According to court records, Gonsalez's mother told investigators that Gonsalez and Richards shared custody of a two-year-old son. On Jan. 6, Richards went over to Gonsalez's house to drop off the boy.
Later, Gonsalez's mother discovered a missed call from Gonsalez. When she returned the call, she allegedly heard Richards and Gonsalez arguing and what she believed to be a gunshot. She and her husband rushed to the residence and found Richards lying on the ground with her mouth, wrists and arms bound with duct tape and her son nearby. Police later found a revolver and spent casings at the residence.
Prosecutors also say that video surveillance shows Gonsalez purchasing duct tape from a Home Depot the day before.
According to court documents, shortly before Richards's shooting was reported, police responded to the 7100 block of E. 112th Street on a shooting, which is about ten minutes east of the College location.
A man reportedly drove up to a house and knocked on the door with a gunshot wound. He initially gave responding officers a fake name but he was later identified as Gonsalez.
Richards's family sent 41 Action News the following statement:
"We are all completely devastated. She’d be the last person anyone could ever expect this to happen to, a beautiful soul that so many had memories with. A mother that would and did do anything for her child, who made so many selfless sacrifices by just 19. No matter what rough patches she’d gone through there was never a time where she wouldn’t put a smile on her sweet baby Jay, even if she struggled to put on her own. A personality you could only understand if you’d known her. It still doesn’t feel real to any of us yet, but this is life, it is very real, and now a two year old boy is without his mother. If there’s anything we could get across to other families it’s that if you or a loved one is going through warning signs of domestic violence, please speak out before it might be too late, and know that you are not and will never be alone."
Her family set up a GoFundMe to help Richards's son.
Anyone with any information is encouraged to call police or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.
