Do you know who murdered Donald?
Donald E. Coty Jr., a 20-year-old Black man known to his loved ones as “Little Donald,” was a father with his whole life ahead of him. Though his time was brief, he was loved, remembered by one person as their “Big Bro” and by the mother of his child as her enduring love. His life was tragically cut short in a burst of gunfire that marked the first homicide of 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri.
On the cold evening of Tuesday, January 10, 2017, police received a call about a shooting just before 9:00 p.m. Officers were dispatched to the intersection of 12th Street and The Paseo, a major thoroughfare in the city. Upon arrival around 8:45 p.m., they found a black vehicle stopped in the northbound lane. The car was riddled with bullet holes, its engine still running, and the passenger-side door was left open, suggesting a chaotic and abrupt end to a journey.
Inside, slumped in the driver's seat, officers found Donald Coty. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency medical personnel arrived and attempted to render aid, but his injuries were too severe. Donald was pronounced dead at the scene, his life ending in his car on a city street. The Kansas City Police Department quickly launched a homicide investigation into the city's first killing of the new year.
Investigators believed that Donald was not alone in the vehicle when the shooting occurred. Evidence at the scene led them to suspect that a second occupant had been in the passenger seat, was also possibly wounded in the attack, and had fled the scene on foot before authorities arrived. The identity of this individual and what they may have witnessed remains a crucial but unanswered question in the case. Police processed the vehicle for evidence and canvassed the area for witnesses, but no immediate suspects were identified.
In the days that followed, Donald’s family and friends were left to grapple with their sudden and violent loss. A funeral service was held for him on Saturday, January 21, at Traveler's Rest Outreach Missionary Baptist Church, followed by his burial at Brooking Cemetery. Years later, the pain of his absence was still fresh. His father, Donald E. Coty Sr., passed away in 2020, with his obituary noting that his beloved son, "Little Donald," had preceded him in death. On a memorial page, a loved one left a message for him: "forever my love your daughter is getting big wish you was here."
As of today, the murder of Donald Coty Jr. remains unsolved. His case is listed on the Kansas City Missouri Police Department's Unsolved Homicides page. No arrests have been made, and the motive behind the shooting has not been publicly released. The investigation is ongoing, and detectives continue to seek information from the public that could lead to a breakthrough.
The Kansas City Police Department urges anyone with information about the shooting to come forward. Detective Scott Mullen is the case detective and can be reached at 816-234-5336. Alternatively, anonymous tips can be submitted to the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $25,000 is available for information that leads to an arrest in this case, a standing offer for a family still waiting for justice.
