On the morning of May 29, 2016, 57-year-old Merle Allen Kitchen was found dead from gunshot wounds inside a residence in the 300 block of South Lawndale Avenue in Northeast Kansas City. Kansas City Police officers responded to a reported shooting about 3:30 a.m.; Kitchen was pronounced dead at the scene, recorded as the city’s 39th homicide of the year.

Kitchen was a long-time neighborhood resident known as sociable and talkative, described by friends and family as a jokester who loved his family. He worked over the years at local employers including the Kansas City Star, Hereford Steak House, Jack Henry Clothiers, and Pierpont’s Restaurant, and had attended Bishop Hogan High School and Penn Valley College.

Homicide detectives investigated but initially had no suspect information to release. If anyone knew Merle Kitchen or has information about the shooting, please contact the TIPS Hotline.