One killed, five wounded in Kansas City shooting near jazz district

Gunfire tore through a stretch of East 19th Street near Kansas City’s historic 18th & Vine Jazz District on Friday night, leaving one man dead and five others wounded in a scene that drew officers, hospitals and detectives into one of the city’s most watched corridors. Police said the shooting happened just before 10:30 p.m. between The Paseo and Vine Street.

Officers on patrol heard the shots and moved toward the area near 18th Street and The Paseo, then found three people who had been shot on 19th Street, according to local reports and police. Investigators said multiple people opened fire in multiple directions. Three other victims later arrived at hospitals in private vehicles, bringing the total number of people hurt to six.

NBC News identified the man who died as 29-year-old David E. Beck III. NBC News also reported that one wounded man was in critical condition, while two other victims were in stable condition. The two women found at the scene were conscious and alert, with one suffering non-life-threatening injuries and the other seriously hurt.

No suspects were in custody as of the latest reports, and police have not said how many shooters were involved or what led to the gunfire. Detectives are asking anyone with information to contact homicide investigators or the anonymous TIPS hotline, and a reward of up to $25,000 is available for information that leads to an arrest.

The shooting added another jolt of violence to a neighborhood long tied to Kansas City’s jazz legacy and came as city leaders have been trying to reassure residents and visitors during a summer of World Cup activity. The site of the shooting was roughly seven miles from Kansas City Stadium, where World Cup matches are being played this summer.

Local officials and community voices have already condemned the attack as part of a troubling run of recent violent incidents in the city. For residents around 18th & Vine, the latest shooting underscored how quickly a familiar entertainment and cultural district can become an active crime scene, even as police continue trying to piece together who fired, why they fired and whether more arrests are coming.