On a summer afternoon in Kansas City, Missouri, the life of 25-year-old Coty D. Henry, a Black male, was cut short. On July 26, 2018, Henry was found fatally shot inside a car in the parking lot of The Trails at the Ridge apartments, located in the 8600 block of East 61st Terrace. The call came in to police at approximately 2:45 p.m., and shortly after they arrived, Henry was pronounced dead at the scene.
He was discovered in his sister's vehicle, at an apartment complex where he had previously lived and still had friends and family. It is believed he may have been waiting for a friend to arrive when the shooting occurred.
Family and friends, reeling from the sudden violence, remembered Henry as a kind and gentle soul. Described as a "teddy bear" and a "gentle giant," he was known for his compassionate and helpful nature. Standing at six feet tall and weighing over 300 pounds, his imposing stature was in stark contrast to his warm personality. He was a graduate of Langston University in Oklahoma with a degree in business management and had returned to his hometown of Kansas City. His loved ones shared that he was always trying to make those around him happy and was a cherished babysitter for his cousins' children.
In the period leading up to his death, Henry was channeling his energy into a production company he had started with a friend. He was also grieving the recent loss of his beloved grandmother, who had passed away just two months prior. His family expressed that he had been deeply affected by her death and was striving to stay focused on his dreams. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Kansas City police took a person of interest into custody. However, further details regarding the identity of this person or if any arrests were made or charges were filed have not been publicly available in the years that followed.
