Joseph M. Wochner, 33, was fatally shot in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Kansas City. Officers responded about 6:51 a.m. to East 4th Street and Holmes Road in the Columbus Park neighborhood and found Wochner unresponsive in the street with gunshot wounds. He was given aid at the scene and taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Detectives say Wochner had an interaction with one or more people in the street that escalated to gunfire. The location is a residential area with many apartments, and investigators asked neighbors for any observations; a reward of up to $25,000 was offered for information leading to an arrest via the anonymous TIPS Hotline. No suspects have been publicly identified or taken into custody and the investigation remains ongoing.

Wochner was a 2011 graduate of Blue Springs High School, is survived by his son, father and sister, and enjoyed riding dirt bikes and four-wheelers. If anyone in Columbus Park that morning saw or heard anything related to this shooting, please contact the homicide unit or the anonymous TIPS Hotline.