A dispute in Kansas City’s Indian Mound neighborhood on the morning of September 2, 2023, ended in gunfire and the death of 28-year-old Leroy M. Purkett. Officers who responded to reports of a shooting in the 300 block of Drury Avenue around 10:30 a.m. found Purkett wounded in the street; he was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead a short time later. Homicide detectives say the shooting followed an argument in the street, but as of late 2023 no arrests had been announced and no suspects publicly identified.

Purkett, known to family as L.J., had moved to Kansas City from North Carolina about three years earlier with his girlfriend. Family members report conflicting accounts about what sparked the confrontation. One account says the couple had returned a found dog and that a neighbor who accused them later threatened them and allegedly returned and shot Purkett in the back of the head. The family has launched a GoFundMe to cover the costs of transporting his body to North Carolina for burial.

If anyone in the Indian Mound area that morning saw the argument or has information about who was involved, please share what you know with investigators.