On a spring morning in Kansas City, Missouri, 23-year-old Johnathon L. Porter was at his job as a construction worker, laying pipe near Ninth Street and Brooklyn Avenue on April 24, 2018. He was a young man with a bright future, eagerly anticipating the birth of his first child with his fiancée. Porter, who grew up in Appleton City, had recently moved back to the Kansas City area to be closer to family as he prepared for fatherhood.
The day took a tragic and senseless turn when a
stranger approached Porter and asked for a cigarette. Porter, who did not smoke, informed the man he couldn't help him. The man began to walk away, but then inexplicably turned back and opened fire, shooting Porter multiple times in the chest. The young construction worker was rushed to a nearby hospital, but tragically succumbed to his injuries.
The brazen and seemingly random nature of the shooting stunned the community and Porter's loved ones. His mother described him as a person whose smile could light up a room and that he was loved by everyone who knew him. His employer, InfraSource, a contractor for Spire gas company, temporarily halted work in the area and offered counseling to its employees.
In the wake of the shooting, the Kansas City Police Department launched an investigation and released surveillance footage of a person of interest. The individual was described as a Black male, between 25 and 30 years old, last seen wearing a dark or blue hooded sweatshirt and gray pants. Despite the video and a substantial cash reward offered for information leading to an arrest, the case has grown cold. Years have passed, and the man who took Johnathon Porter's life remains at large, leaving a void in the lives of his family, including the daughter he never had the chance to meet. The investigation remains open, with authorities still seeking help from the public to bring a resolution to this senseless tragedy.
