Police seek public's help in identifying teen killed in Monday homicide

Police are seeking the public's help in identifying a teenager found shot to death in a church parking lot Monday morning.

Officers were called around 9:30 a.m. after a passerby saw a body in the parking lot of Dayspring Pentecostal Church at 9910 Bannister Road, according to Sgt. Phillip DiMartino, Kansas City police spokesman. The victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene, is a black teenager believed to be between 14 and 17 years old, police said.

“We don’t have a lot of information,” DiMartino said. “No one called about a shooting. No one called about a disturbance. This morning, someone was passing by.

On Wednesday, police shared potentially identifiable characteristics of the victim in hopes that someone in the community would recognize him.

The victim's hair is about an inch long and frayed at the sides, DiMartino said in a news release. There is a scar above the left eye, a vertical scar down the center of the back of the left hand, and a circular scar on the left hip.

He has no tattoos or piercings, but wears braces with black rubber bands. He was wearing bone-colored Adidas Yeezy 700 MNVNs, police said.

It was the 72nd homicide in Kansas City this year, according to data collected by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings. There were 95 homicides this time last year.

Anyone with information to call homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the anonymous TIPS hotline at 816-474-8477. A reward of up to $25,000 is available for information provided to TIPS that leads to an arrest.