Kansas City, Kansas police identify 17-year-old killed in Halloween party mass shooting

Bill Lukitsch

Police on Wednesday publicly identified the teenager killed during a Halloween party mass shooting, where several others were wounded on Monday night, as Katron Harris, 17, of Kansas City, Kansas.

The teenager was one of seven shot at a residence in the 1600 block of South 50th Street where a large gathering, estimated by authorities to host as many as 100 people including high school students, ended in gunfire. Party goers inside and outside the house were fired upon after a group had been asked to leave and then returned, police have said.

Harris was pronounced dead at the scene. As of Tuesday, five gunshot victims — all between the ages of 15 and 16 — remained in the hospital. Another 18-year-old was released after being treated.

A person of interest in the case remained in police custody as of Wednesday afternoon as the KCKPD Major Case Unit continued its investigation, said Nancy Chartrand, a Kansas City, Kansas police spokeswoman.

Other potential suspects remain at large, according to police. During a press briefing on Tuesday morning, Police Chief Karl Oakman said detectives were searching for as many as six suspects in total — all of whom showed up disguised in costume for the event.

Police were also searching for a dark-colored SUV, possibly gray, that the suspected shooters were believed to have occupied.

An investigator with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms leads a police dog through the scene of a shooting in Kansas City, Kansas where eight people were shot, one fatally, during a large gathering at a home in the 1600 block of South 50th Street.
An investigator with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms leads a police dog through the scene of a shooting in Kansas City, Kansas where eight people were shot, one fatally, during a large gathering at a home in the 1600 block of South 50th Street.

Party attendees who spoke to The Star said the experience was one of the most terrifying of their lives. In interviews Tuesday, the pair described the chaos that erupted at the invite-only house party when the house was showered with bullets.

It was a frightening ordeal for neighbors who heard teenagers having a fun time turn to screaming. Megan Webb, a next-door neighbor, said she heard dozens of rounds of gunshots.

“It was very scary,” Webb told The Star on Tuesday. “People need to stop the gun violence. It’s horrible.”

Meanwhile, Kansas City, Kansas police continued to ask the public for assistance with the investigation by the submission of tips through the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

The Star’s Jenna Thompson contributed to this report.

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