On the evening of Tuesday, October 13, 2020, officers in Carthage, Missouri, responded to reports of gunfire in the 100 block of North Garrison Avenue. Shortly before 9:00 p.m., first responders found a man in a west alleyway suffering from a gunshot wound. He was identified as 30-year-old John Cody Morgan Jr., known to friends and family as Cody. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police described the shooting as an isolated incident and said they did not believe there was an ongoing danger to the public. Several people in the area were detained; one person was taken into custody and described by the Carthage Police Department as a person of interest. An autopsy by the Jasper County Coroner was planned and detectives were documenting the scene and interviewing witnesses.

If anyone saw activity in the 100 block of North Garrison Avenue that night or has information about John Morgan Jr. or the person of interest, please share what is known.