On September 7, 2015, the African American community in Kansas City, Missouri, lost a young member when 20-year-old Neka S. Gleason was fatally shot in an early morning incident. The violence unfolded on Labor Day in the parking lot of the Point Bar & Grill, located in the 900 block of West 44th Street. Authorities were called to the scene at approximately 2:45 a.m. following reports of a disturbance and gunfire outside the establishment. Upon arrival, police discovered Gleason sprawled in the parking lot, having sustained fatal injuries.
The shooting incident involved a second victim, identified by family members as Gleason's 23-year-old brother. He was found at the scene suffering from a gunshot wound to his shoulder. Emergency responders transported him to a local hospital, where he was listed in serious but stable condition. In the immediate aftermath of the violence, police canvassed the area and sought witnesses, but reports from the following day indicated that no arrests had been made.
Gleason, who had recently moved into her own apartment and was working part-time jobs at QuikTrip and AT&T, was remembered by her family as a sweet and independent young woman who was just beginning her adult life. She was a 2013 graduate of Ruskin High School and had plans to enlist in the Air Force the following January. Her death deeply shook her tight-knit family, particularly her grandmother and brother, with whom she spoke nearly every day. Authorities urged anyone with information regarding the shooting to contact the TIPS Hotline, though no specific suspect descriptions were publicly released at the time of the initial investigation.
