On the morning of July 9, 2018, law enforcement officials in Kansas City, Missouri, were dispatched to a residential neighborhood following reports of gunfire. Officers arrived at the scene in the 1600 block of Lister Avenue, near East 16th Street, around 7:35 a.m. Upon their arrival, they discovered the body of a male victim in an alleyway behind a home.
The deceased was identified as 36-year-old Derrick Wade Harris.
Harris was a resident of Harrisonville, Missouri, and was reportedly visiting the Kansas City area at the time of the incident. He had sustained fatal injuries consistent with a shooting and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators canvassed the area for potential witnesses or surveillance footage that could shed light on the events leading up to the homicide.
In the immediate aftermath of the discovery, initial reports indicated that police had taken subjects into custody; however, the investigation subsequently appeared to stall due to a lack of concrete evidence. By late August 2018, detectives publicly stated that they were struggling to find leads, noting that there were no eyewitnesses and no vehicle descriptions associated with the shooter. Law enforcement appealed to the community for anonymous tips, emphasizing that the case relied heavily on information from the public to identify the person or persons responsible. As of the last available public updates, the murder of Derrick Harris remained an open investigation with no confirmed charges or convictions reported.
