In the late afternoon of a Sunday in Kansas City, Missouri, the sound of a disturbance shattered the quiet of the 6700 block of Monroe Avenue. On February 23, 2020, police responded to reports of a shooting and discovered a man lying on the ground outside. The victim, a 39-year-old male named Antonio Smith, was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses recounted hearing a commotion before finding Smith and seeing several people fleeing the area, leaving a somber and perplexing scene for
investigators to unravel.
The initial investigation into the city's 23rd homicide of the year began with few leads, and no suspects were immediately taken into custody. As detectives pieced together the events of that day, a picture began to form, leading them to a person of interest. Their focus soon centered on 22-year-old Twashon Wilkins, who was identified as a suspect in the fatal shooting of Antonio Smith. Police secured a felony warrant for his arrest, marking a significant development in the case.
The pursuit of justice for Antonio Smith took a dramatic and fatal turn just a few days later. On the afternoon of February 27, 2020, officers located Wilkins and attempted to take him into custody near East 40th and Olive Streets. Instead of surrendering, Wilkins allegedly rammed a police vehicle with his Chrysler Sebring and sped away, initiating a high-speed chase. The pursuit coursed south on Cleveland Avenue until Wilkins lost control of his vehicle near East 46th Terrace. The car crashed into an apartment building, bringing the chase to an abrupt and tragic end. Twashon Wilkins, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was transported to a local hospital where he died from his injuries. With the death of the primary suspect, the investigation into the murder of Antonio Smith came to a close, leaving a community to grapple with the two lives lost in a span of just four days.
