Hyde Park family shocked after shots fired at their car following accident

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Kansas City, Missouri police received a call about a stolen vehicle at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. KSHB 41 later confirmed an incident that was a hit-and-run accident with no injuries, in which one of the crash victims was subsequently shot.

KSHB 41 received an anonymous tip regarding the victims of the shooting.

After exchanging letters with the family, KSHB's Ryan Gamboa met with a man who asked to remain anonymous.

KSHB 41 has obtained copies of the victim's incident report. KCPD reports the incident is being investigated as aggravated assault with a firearm.

The victim, who lives in the Hyde Park neighborhood near Gillham Park, said he had taken his two children to a car show.

“Some guys ignored a stop sign and drove into the side of us. Then they got out of their cars,” he said.

After the accident, suspects from two vehicles – one of which was a total loss and the other was parked southbound on Gillham Road – entered the undamaged vehicle, the victim said.

With his children in the vehicle, the victim tried to take a photo of the vehicle involved in the accident.

He said a gun was then pointed at his vehicle and the suspects fired three to four shots.

“My son screamed, 'Daddy, I don't want to get shot,'” he said. “I picked him up and we sat next to the right rear tire, which was the furthest from the accident site.”

The victim told Gamboa that the neighborhood in Hyde Park is very close-knit; residents are low-key and supportive of their neighbors.

Residents of a nearby apartment complex allowed the victim's family to enter their building after the incident.

“They (both children) were visibly shaken,” he said. “I had a panic attack. I pulled myself together in front of my children, but then I had to go into the hallway. That's when it hit me.”

Brian Luton/KSHB

The family and KCPD report that there were no injuries in the incident, but the victim said his children suffered emotional trauma.

“I've never seen her so scared in her life at this moment,” he said. “… Her mother and I have talked about it. We're going to take her to her school counselor. If that doesn't work, we're going to send her to therapy.”

According to the victim's statement, KCPD stated that both vehicles reported stolen were KIA.

According to police, the total loss vehicle and the other vehicle have not yet been found.

The victim, who works in the auto industry, claimed that KIA models were easy to steal using a laptop.

“You're shooting people over stolen cars,” he said. “That doesn't make sense to me. Why do you even do that?”

When Gamboa asked the victim what his solution to the problem of violent crime was, he replied: better access to mental health resources, education, and more resources for effective police work.

“It's not necessarily their (law enforcement's) fault, they're the opposition on this,” he said. “I really believe they need more resources to do their job efficiently. I believe they need more staff. I believe they need to be trained a little bit better. It has to do with the fact that city officials are so lenient with these criminals and are not prosecuting and investigating them.”

Brian Luton/KSHB

According to the KCPD's daily homicide analysis as of September 7, 2024, there have been 108 murders this year. Of the 108 total murders, firearms were used 104 times, according to the report.

The analysis states: “Multiple firearms and/or other means may have been used in the commission of a single murder.”

While no one was injured in the Saturday morning incident, the victim told KSHB 41 that his neighborhood is changing.

“I've seen a lot in the city and I'm not proud to be from here, especially at the moment,” he said.

According to KCPD, investigators do not currently know the identities of the suspects. No one has been arrested or charged.

The investigation is still ongoing.

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KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County, Kansas and Cass County, Missouri. Share your story idea with Ryan.