On the morning of December 16, 2023, Kansas City police were sent to the 4400 block of Garfield Avenue after 911 callers directed officers to a nearby residence. Responding units found 41-year-old Eric Hayden unresponsive inside the home; emergency medical crews determined he had sustained a single gunshot wound and pronounced him dead at the scene.

Detectives first described the incident as a suspicious death but soon upgraded it to a homicide after observing bodily trauma and reviewing evidence from the scene. The killing was listed as the city’s 179th homicide for 2023. Authorities said they did not know the circumstances that led to the shooting and had not identified any persons of interest or made arrests.

Investigators appealed for public help and offered a reward for information leading to an arrest. If anyone has information about Eric Hayden’s death or saw activity near Garfield Avenue on December 16, contact the homicide unit or the anonymous TIPS Hotline.