On the afternoon of January 19, 2016, Walter Lee Gregory, a 40-year-old Black man and Kansas City resident, was shot near 39th Street and Troost Avenue. Officers arriving around 2:00 p.m. found him with life-threatening gunshot wounds; he was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Police treated the death as a homicide and began an investigation that included canvassing the area and collecting witness statements.

Witnesses reported a vehicle speeding away from the scene moments after the shooting, but investigators did not release a make, model, or color. Gregory was known locally as a music artist who performed as 7 Hustlamade Bugz and as the primary caregiver for his bedridden mother; he had posted a message advocating peace and non-violence hours before he was shot and was an organ donor. No suspects have been publicly named and no arrests have been reported; the investigation remains open.

If anyone has information that could help identify who fled the scene or any additional details, please share what is known.