Samuel A. Hewitt III, 39, was fatally shot in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 24, 2014. Officers responding to reports of a shooting found Hewitt inside a vehicle with a gunshot wound; he was taken to a hospital and later died. The Jackson County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide from a contact-range gunshot wound to the head.

Witnesses described a physical fight outside a residence before the shooting. A female witness who tried to intervene was struck by another person, and observers said Hewitt was left lying unresponsive on the ground. Court records state the suspect then lifted Hewitt’s head, pointed a firearm at him, and fired one shot; neighbors reported hearing someone scream that he had been shot as vehicles fled the scene.

Authorities charged 42-year-old Independence resident Melvin M. McCaslin in February 2015 with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful possession of a firearm; he was on probation for a drug possession case at the time. A jury found McCaslin guilty of voluntary manslaughter and armed criminal action after a September 2016 trial, with sentencing set for later that year.

Did anyone in the area witness the fight or the vehicles leaving after the shooting?