In the early morning hours of July 14, 2022, Angel Rivera-Rodriguez, a 32-year-old Hispanic male, was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Best Western hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. The incident unfolded around 2:10 a.m. when police were called to the scene to investigate reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered Rivera-Rodriguez on the ground with a fatal gunshot wound to the back of his neck.
According to Rivera-Rodriguez's girlfriend, who was with him at the hotel, two
men came to their room to 'hang out.' She informed investigators that Rivera-Rodriguez was a drug dealer who often carried large sums of money and had been abusive towards her. An argument reportedly broke out between Rivera-Rodriguez and the two men. The confrontation escalated, and Rivera-Rodriguez went down to his car in the parking lot. His girlfriend witnessed one of the men, whom she identified as 'Chance,' fire a gun from the second-floor balcony. She then saw the second man run down the stairs and shoot Rivera-Rodriguez two more times.
Police investigation of the crime scene uncovered a 9mm shell casing on the balcony directly above where the victim's car was parked, and two other shell casings of a different caliber were found near his body. Surveillance footage from the hotel captured parts of the event, showing two men in the vicinity around the time Rivera-Rodriguez went to his car and his subsequent collapse. Although the victim's girlfriend stated he was a drug dealer, and a purse containing approximately $10,000 in cash was found at the scene, no firearm was discovered on or near Rivera-Rodriguez's body.
One of the suspects, 21-year-old Chance K. Bandy, later turned himself in to the Kansas City police headquarters. He was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. During his interview with police, Bandy admitted to being present at the time of the shooting and arguing with Rivera-Rodriguez, whom he accused of assaulting his friend. However, he denied having a gun and claimed that the other man was the one who shot Rivera-Rodriguez, alleging that the victim had been holding a firearm. Bandy also told police that after the shooting, he and the other man took Rivera-Rodriguez's gun and threw it out of their moving car on the highway. Information regarding the identity, arrest, or charges against the second suspect has not been publicly released.
