On the afternoon of July 23, 2022, police in Kansas City, Missouri, responded to reports of gunfire in the residential area near East 39th Street and South Benton Avenue. Upon arriving at the scene around 5:00 p.m., officers discovered a male victim lying near the sidewalk, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The victim was identified as 55-year-old Keith Cole.
Emergency medical personnel arrived shortly after the discovery but found Cole unresponsive.
He was declared dead at the scene. The incident occurred during a particularly violent weekend in the city, which saw multiple homicides within a 24-hour period. Investigators cordoned off two blocks of East 39th Street, from Agnes Avenue to Chestnut Avenue, as they canvassed the area for evidence and potential witnesses.
As of the available reports following the incident, no suspects had been publicly identified, and no arrests had been made in connection with Cole's death. Authorities at the time urged anyone with information regarding the shooting to contact the TIPS Hotline, seeking assistance from the community to generate leads in the investigation. The case was recorded as the city’s 88th homicide of that year.
