In the early morning hours of May 6, 2020, authorities in Kansas City, Missouri, launched a homicide investigation that led to the discovery of 42-year-old Black male Michael L. Groves, who was found deceased in an apartment complex on the city's east side. Police officers were initially dispatched around 2:51 a.m. to a reported shooting at a gas station located at 5401 East Winner Road.
Upon arrival at the convenience store, they secured the scene where another victim, identified as 36-year-old Cleveland Fuller III, had been fatally shot near the entrance.
As the investigation at the gas station unfolded, a second call directed officers to the Green Leaf Apartments at 5306 Williamsburg Court, just a few minutes away. While securing the apartment complex, police encountered 43-year-old Matthew D. Harris exiting the building. Harris reportedly told the officers that his apartment had been ransacked and a firearm stolen, but he was detained at the scene. During a subsequent search of the premises, law enforcement discovered Michael Groves dead inside an apartment unit, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. An uninjured woman was also located inside the same apartment.
Prosecutors from the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office subsequently charged Matthew D. Harris in connection with both deaths. Harris faced two counts of murder in the second degree and two counts of armed criminal action. Court records indicated that surveillance video from the gas station captured a suspect matching Harris's clothing shooting Fuller. Following his arrest, Harris allegedly made statements to police claiming that the altercation began at the gas station where someone shot at him, prompting him to return fire. The investigation linked the violent events at both locations to the suspect, leading to his apprehension and the filing of felony charges for the double homicide.
