On the night of October 26, 2015, authorities in Springfield, Missouri, were alerted to a potential medical emergency at a residence on the north side of the city. At approximately 9:23 p.m., police officers were dispatched to an apartment complex located at 2148 North East Avenue after a 911 caller reported finding a man who was not breathing. Upon their arrival at the scene, law enforcement officials and emergency medical personnel entered the apartment to render aid, but they discovered that
the subject was already deceased.
The victim was identified as Tyrone Gardner, a 35-year-old Black male who had been a resident of the Springfield area. Preliminary observations by the responding officers indicated that Gardner had sustained a suspected gunshot wound, prompting the Springfield Police Department to treat the death as a homicide. Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Section were immediately called to the location to process the crime scene and search for evidence that might explain the circumstances leading to the fatal incident.
In the days following the discovery, the Greene County Medical Examiner's Office was scheduled to conduct an autopsy to officially determine the cause of death. Investigators worked to interview witnesses and follow up on leads, notifying Gardner's next of kin regarding the tragedy. Gardner, who was born in 1980 and had graduated from Kickapoo High School in 1999, was remembered by his community as the investigation commenced.
Despite the efforts of the homicide detectives, initial reports from the Springfield Police Department indicated that no suspect had been identified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Law enforcement appealed to the public for assistance, urging anyone with information about the crime to contact the department or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers. Available records and databases regarding unsolved cases in Missouri list the investigation into Gardner's death as an unsolved homicide, with no public reports of subsequent arrests, charges, or convictions related to the case appearing in open sources.
