VerNae Watson was 23 when she was fatally wounded in a shooting while a passenger in a vehicle on a Sunday evening in autumn 2015. The car was traveling near Hillcrest and Bannister roads when the driver reported hearing several gunshots and later discovered Watson had been struck in the head. The driver drove to a home on Newton Avenue and summoned help; Watson died on Tuesday, November 3, 2015.

Friends and family described VerNae as buoyant, outgoing, sweet and generous. She attended Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley and worked as a home health care provider; as the oldest of five siblings she was known as protective and supportive. The Kansas City Police Department investigated but, in initial reports, no suspects had been identified and no arrests announced.

If anyone was in the Hillcrest and Bannister area that evening or knows more about what happened, please share information with the Kansas City Police Department.