In the late afternoon of March 31, 2021, Mark Allen Winner, a 50-year-old White/Caucasian man, was relaxing in his Kansas City, Kansas, home, watching a soccer match on television. A lifelong resident of the city, he was a man who found joy in simple pleasures: cheering for the Jayhawks, experimenting with recipes he'd seen on cooking shows, and attending local festivals and his nieces' and nephew's school events.
He was a devoted son, brother, and uncle, known for his humor and his eagerness to spend time with his family.
The quiet of that Wednesday afternoon was shattered by the sound of an argument erupting outside on his street, the 6400 block of Farrow Avenue. The dispute quickly escalated, and a volley of gunfire broke out between two parties. Inside his home, a stray bullet pierced through a front window and struck Mark, who was with his mother at the time. He was an unintended victim, an innocent bystander caught in a conflict that had nothing to do with him. First responders found him inside his house, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. His death was the fifth homicide in Kansas City, Kansas, that year.
In the wake of the tragic event, the community was left in shock, mourning the loss of a man described as a kind soul. Neighbors expressed their sorrow and fear, with one recounting how she ran to protect her baby as the shots, at least 10 of them, rang out. Investigators quickly began working the case and identified a person of interest.
Two months later, authorities arrested James Edward Merritt Jr., a 51-year-old neighbor of Winner's. Investigators believe Merritt was involved in the exchange of gunfire that led to the fatal stray bullet. After initially fleeing to Topeka, he was apprehended and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated endangerment of a child, and illegal possession of a firearm.
