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

Police are asking for 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 the Dayspring Pentecostal Church at 9910 Bannister Road, according to Sgt. Phillip DiMartino, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department. 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. “Nobody called to report a shooting. Nobody called to report a disturbance. Somebody just happened to drive by this morning.”

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

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

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

This is the 72nd homicide in Kansas City this year, according to data collected by The Star, which includes fatal police-involved shootings. At the same time last year, there were 95 homicides.

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