The first shooting occurred at approximately 12:30 a.m. at a house on a block sandwiched between the Army Reserve center to the west, and a CVS pharmacy to the east. Five shots were fired at that time.
Two and a half hours later the assailant or assailants returned with an AK-47 and fired at least 50 rounds of ammunition into the two houses less than 30 footsteps away from the Army Reserve center. The house on the left sustained the most damage, with more than 40 shots hitting the exterior and interior of the house. Bullet holes riddle the siding, windows, interior and exterior doors, walls, framed pictures, the garage, and the owner's automobile. Shots fired through the front door lodged bullets into the wall at the back of the house. The occupant of this house was in bed during the attack, and was not injured. Police recovered more than 30 shell casings when they arrived at the scene.
The house to the right was hit with approximately 15 bullets, which also sailed through the windows and were lodged into walls. The family that owns the house had recently moved away. Had they still lived at that residence, their seven children who occupied the rooms that were fired upon could have been in grave danger.
Police who were called to the scene questioned the homeowner whose house sustained the most damage, a 76-year-old man who felt that the officers were skeptical when he insisted that he had no enemies or quarrels that would cause somebody to spray his house with bullets from an automatic weapon. He has contacted detectives several times since the incident but has been told that no further information is available regarding possible suspects.
The resident, along with many others, are having a difficult time understanding how an attack of this magnitude could occur on a city block with such extensive surveillance, yet no clues have been offered nor have the police asked for the public's help in identifying the attackers.
If anyone does have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Independence Police Department Investigations Unit at (816) 325-7330.
