On the afternoon of April 5, 2014, in Kansas City, Missouri, 20-year-old Alonzo Thomas IV, known to some as Zoe, stepped outside a house on Wayne Avenue around 1:00 p.m. to take a phone call. Witnesses reported seeing him talking with people inside a white van or truck with a sliding passenger door and rusted rims shortly before shots were fired. Another witness described a Black male with dreadlocks, wearing black and white clothing, as the shooter.

After being struck, Alonzo managed to stumble back to the front door of the home, knocked for help, then collapsed. Officers found him lying by the door on the 7100 block of Wayne Avenue; he was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooter was seen fleeing on foot. No arrests have been made, the motive remains unknown, and the Kansas City Police Department has asked the public for assistance; a reward of up to $27,000 has been offered for information leading to an arrest or charges.

Alonzo’s mother, Monique Willis, later founded Momma On a Mission Inc. to support families of homicide victims and seek justice. If anyone has information about the white van or truck, the man with dreadlocks, or the shooting that afternoon, authorities want to hear from you.