On the night of September 3, 2024, the sound of gunshots pierced the air near 55th Street and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. Patrolling police officers heard the shots around 11:30 p.m. and rushed to the scene at the intersection of 55th Street and South Benton Avenue. There, they found 39-year-old Shroy Virgil Lapsely, a Black male, and a woman, both lying in the street with gunshot wounds. Emergency services were called, and both victims were transported to Research Medical Center.
Lapsely was pronounced dead at approximately 1 a.m. on September 4th. The female victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was expected to survive.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led to a suspect, 48-year-old Otis Wayne Brown. The surviving female victim, who had known Brown for several years, identified him as the person who shot them. According to court documents, just before the shooting, police had encountered Lapsely and the woman at a gas station and asked them to leave due to loitering. After they left, Brown allegedly approached them on foot and fired three shots.
Otis Wayne Brown was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder, four counts of armed criminal action, and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon. It was revealed that Brown had a prior conviction for unlawful use of a weapon in 2022. Following his arrest for Lapsely's murder, Brown was uncooperative with investigators, refusing to provide a DNA sample and causing disturbances during his interrogation. He was held without bond, and a bond review hearing was scheduled for October 3, 2024. While Brown was charged with second-degree murder and first-degree assault, he was not convicted on these charges. However, he is serving an 18-year sentence for unlawful possession of a firearm. He filed an appeal one day after beginning his sentence. Lapsely's family continues to seek justice, with his mother expressing a desire to speak with the female victim to understand the full story of what happened to her son.
