Monday evening at about 11:15 pm KCPD officers were called to the area of Independence Avenue and Indiana on a shooting call.
On arrival they found two victims on the south sidewalk, one male and one female. The female was declared deceased at the scene, and the male was transported to the hospital by EMS for a non life threatening gunshot wound. The victim in this case has been identified as Michelle Capell, 36, a white female.
Police indicated the two victims were shot by an unknown suspect. One witness reported hearing gunshots then hearing a man scream, “Call 911!”
The area near the shooting scene is a known hot-bed for violent crime along the Independence Avenue corridor. Neighborhoods bordering the area have been actively working with police and city agencies to quell the growing crime trend. This brings the homicide count in Northeast to 32 for the calendar year.
Detectives canvassed for witnesses. If anyone saw or heard anything in this area tonight they are asked to call Homicide detectives directly at 234-5043 or the TIPS hotline anonymously at 474-TIPS. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest in this case.
Updated Dec. 29: James Gregory, a 28-year-old Independence man, was charged in the fatal shooting of Capell.
Gregory faces Murder 2nd Degree, Assault 1st Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon and three counts of Armed Criminal Action.
According to court records, Kansas City police officers responded late on Nov. 6, 2020, to the area of Independence Avenue and Indiana on a reported shooting and found two victims. The female victim was deceased on the sidewalk. The male victim was taken to the hospital. A witness told police shots were fired from a moving vehicle. A check of video sources in the area enabled police to obtain a license plate number and led them to the vehicle’s owner, the fiance of the defendant. A witness told police that the defendant had been in a dispute that day with a man and woman at the gas station. He later left saying he was going back to the gas station and he took her car. Police found spent shell casings in the vehicle later. And gun residue was detected on the defendant’s shirt.