A dispute between roommates in a Kansas City, Missouri, apartment on the evening of June 1, 2026, ended in the tragic death of 42-year-old Arelio Antonio-Lazaro and left his son critically injured. The white male victim was found with fatal gunshot wounds inside the residence located near 12th Street and Askew Avenue. Responding to a reported shooting at approximately 6:45 p.m., Kansas City police officers discovered a chaotic scene.
Inside the apartment, Antonio-Lazaro was located in the entryway and was pronounced dead at the scene. His son was found in a bedroom, also suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, and was transported to a local hospital in life-threatening condition.
Upon arrival, police immediately took a suspect into custody without incident. The individual, identified as 20-year-old Brayan Noe Arguijo-Mejia, was waiting outside the apartment and matched the suspect description provided by a witness. Arguijo-Mejia was a roommate to both Arelio Antonio-Lazaro and his son. Investigations at the scene uncovered a 9mm handgun and 13 spent shell casings inside the apartment. The violence of the encounter was further evidenced by bullet holes found in the wall of a neighboring apartment across the hall. A witness who lived in the neighboring apartment reported hearing an argument followed by a succession of gunshots.
In the days following the shooting, Brayan Noe Arguijo-Mejia was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and two counts of armed criminal action by the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office. A judge set his bond at $250,000 cash-only. During questioning, Arguijo-Mejia claimed that he thought he heard a gun being loaded, which prompted him to retrieve his own firearm and shoot both of his roommates. Neighbors and acquaintances of Arguijo-Mejia described him as a troubled young man, with some mentioning that he may have been bullied and had been seen crying in his car. One neighbor recounted that Arguijo-Mejia expressed remorse immediately after the shooting, stating that he "messed up" and asked for the police to be called, claiming that "voices in his head told him to kill him." The case against Brayan Noe Arguijo-Mejia highlights a tragic intersection of personal conflict and alleged mental health struggles, culminating in a fatal act of violence that claimed the life of Arelio Antonio-Lazaro and severely injured his son. As of the initial reports, the legal proceedings were just beginning with the filing of charges.
