On the evening of Monday, April 18, 2016, a tragedy unfolded at a residence in the 5000 block of Fairway Drive in Kansas City, Missouri. Richard Alan Cushingberry, a 30-year-old African American man, was at home when he heard a knock at his front door shortly after 8:00 p.m. Upon opening the door to see who was there, he was immediately met with gunfire. Assailants shot him four times in the chest before fleeing the scene. Emergency responders transported him to a local hospital, but his injuries proved fatal, and he died early the following morning, Tuesday, April 19.
The sudden violence shocked his family and the local community, who described him as a devoted father and a 'big kid at heart' who enjoyed video games and cooking. He left behind three young children, then aged 7, 9, and 10, as well as a grieving mother and sister who later organized a vigil on his lawn. At the time of his death, he had been recovering from a back injury and spending time connecting with his children. Family members expressed complete confusion regarding a motive, stating they did not know who would want to harm him.
Despite an investigation by the Kansas City Police Department, the homicide remains unsolved. In the months following the shooting, detectives had not identified a suspect or made any arrests. While Cushingberry had previously been a witness in a federal court case involving a firearm stolen from his possession years prior, authorities have not publicly linked that history to his death. The case eventually went cold, leaving his family to plead for answers and community assistance in identifying the person responsible for the fatal shooting.
