On the night of December 13, 2021, a dispute at a home in Kansas City, Missouri, ended in the shooting death of Corey Haley. A 34-year-old white man, Mr. Haley had been temporarily staying at a residence on 82nd Terrace near Euclid Avenue with a roommate. That evening, he became involved in a verbal argument with other people at the house.
Police were dispatched to the home around 12:15 a.m. after reports of gunfire. When they arrived, officers found a crime scene outside but learned that Mr. Haley had already been taken to Research Medical Center in a private vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled his death a homicide, finding that he had sustained fatal gunshot wounds to his face, neck, chest, and back.
Witnesses told investigators that Mr. Haley’s roommate, Roy J. Puls, had become annoyed by the argument and decided to leave. As Puls, 26, was exiting the house with a bag, Mr.
Haley followed him outside. Moments later, witnesses heard gunshots. Mr. Haley then stumbled back into the residence and said he had been shot. Surveillance footage from the area showed a white heavy-duty truck speeding away from the scene.
Detectives used the surveillance video, along with a cell phone belonging to the suspect that was found at the scene, to identify Roy J. Puls as the alleged shooter. A manhunt for Puls began, and on January 11, 2022, a fugitive task force located him at an address in Greenwood, Missouri. When authorities moved in to make an arrest, Puls fled on a motorcycle, leading officers on a chase that ended with his capture in Lee’s Summit.
The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office charged Puls with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with Corey Haley’s death. During the investigation, it was revealed that Puls had told his mother that he acted in self-defense, claiming he was scared because Mr. Haley was coming after him. Following his arrest in January 2022, Puls was held on a $250,000 cash-only bond as his case proceeded through the court system.
