In the early morning hours of Christmas Eve, December 24, 2023, police in Kansas City, Missouri, were dispatched to the downtown area following reports of a shooting. Just after midnight, officers arrived near the intersection of 1st Street and Holmes, a location described as being in the vicinity of Columbus Park. The investigation led law enforcement to canvass a wooded area known to contain an encampment for unhoused individuals, where they discovered a male victim suffering from unknown
bodily trauma.
Emergency medical services arrived at the scene, but the victim was pronounced deceased shortly thereafter. The man was identified as 55-year-old Elvis Danner. While the initial police report noted bodily trauma, the medical examiner at the scene subsequently determined that Danner had sustained apparent gunshot wounds, and the case was ruled a homicide.
As of the last available reports, detectives had not taken any suspects into custody, and no arrests had been made in connection with Danner's death. Police stated they had no reason to believe there was an immediate risk to the public at the time. Authorities continued to seek information from potential witnesses, offering a reward for tips leading to an arrest, but the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting remained under investigation.
