In the early morning hours of November 25, 2017, the lives of two young men were tragically cut short in a burst of violence at the Hawthorne Place Apartments in Independence, Missouri. Bradley Sartain, an 18-year-old male, was found shot to death, alongside 20-year-old Ernesto A. Delahoz. The discovery was made by Independence police officers who were responding to a report of a shooting in the 600 block of North Peck Court shortly after 12:30 a.m.
Bradley, a recent graduate of Truman
High School, was remembered by his family as a 'happy-go-lucky' country boy with a passion for big trucks and outdoor activities like mudding. The shocking news left his parents and six siblings in a state of disbelief. At the time of his death, his family was unaware of what could have possibly led to the violent encounter. They knew he was at the apartment complex with a friend. In the aftermath of the shooting, his car was initially missing but was later discovered abandoned in an alley.
The second victim, Ernesto A. Delahoz, was the father of a young daughter. His death left his family grappling with the sudden and violent loss, leaving a child to grow up without her father. The double homicide prompted an immediate and intensive investigation by the Independence Police Department.
In the days following the shooting, police publicly identified Sartain and Delahoz as the victims and appealed to the community for any information that might lead to a break in the case. A homicide investigation was launched, and authorities urged anyone with knowledge of the incident to contact the police or the TIPS Hotline. Despite these efforts and the passage of time, there have been no public announcements regarding any arrests made or suspects identified in the murders of Bradley Sartain and Ernesto Delahoz. The case remains an unresolved tragedy, leaving two families to mourn and a community to wonder about the circumstances that led to the deaths of two of its young members.
