Derrick C. Thurman Jr. was 14 when he was found shot to death on the front porch of his family’s home at 8335 Wayne Ave., Kansas City, Missouri, in the early hours of June 7, 2023. Police were dispatched around 5:37 a.m. after a shooting call; paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. Investigators recovered multiple spent shell casings in the front yard, and reporting said the pattern suggested shots were fired from outside toward the house.

Family members told reporters they believed Derrick had been on the porch earlier with two other young people but was alone when his body was discovered. His mother described him as a science-loving, curious, bright kid. Police canvassed the scene and asked the public to contact the homicide unit or Crime Stoppers; initial reporting named no suspects and the case was listed by Kansas City police among unsolved homicides. A funeral home obituary announced visitation and services for June 24, 2023, and a GoFundMe was started to help cover burial costs.

If anyone saw activity near 8335 Wayne Ave. around dawn on June 7, or has information about who was on that porch earlier that morning, please come forward.