Five people were arrested in connection with the Sunday, Aug. 15, homicide in Matney Park in Kansas City, Kansas, according to Sheriff Don Ash.
Skylar Needham, age 30, a resident of Kansas City, Kansas, was found shot to death in a vehicle at the park on Sunday morning.
The five persons arrested Tuesday evening, three males and two females, were all young adults from age 19 to 22, the sheriff said. They were arrested together at apartments on the south side of Kansas City, Kansas.
Three of the five were released pending further investigation as detectives follow leads, he said. Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office are still investigating the case, he added.
The two who are in custody are ages 21 and 22, he said.
The 22-year-old was wanted on a warrant from Osage County on aggravated failure to register, he said. Another individual had a parole violation warrant from Labette County and is being held here pending a follow-up on the warrant, he said.
Detectives have not yet gathered enough information to publicly state a motivation for the homicide, according to the sheriff. There is some video evidence in the case.
Sheriff Ash did not release the names of those who had been arrested. He said there could be additional announcements about charges at a later date.
He praised the investigative work of the detectives, which led to the arrests. He said the Sheriff’s Department was assisted by other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
The sheriff said they believe they have the people who were responsible for the act, and the Sheriff’s Office wanted the community to know they are continuing to work to assure the community is safe.
Some members of the group are suspected in about a dozen crimes in other nearby cities, not in rural areas, he said.
The homicide was reported through a 911 call around 5:23 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 15, at Matney Park, which is near 39th and Shawnee Drive in Kansas City, Kansas. Sheriff’s officers found a deceased male with several gunshot wounds in a vehicle within the park.
Anyone with additional information on this case is urged to call the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS, the spokesman stated.