Calvert L Antwine

A chaotic scene of gunfire and crashing metal shattered a spring afternoon in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 20, 2014, leaving a family without a loved one and police with a complex, unsolved homicide. The victim was Calvert L. Antwine II, a 32-year-old Black man known to many as "Papoose." His violent death on a city street has since been shadowed by persistent, unanswered questions and public speculation of a connection to another notorious killing a decade earlier.

The incident unfolded around 3:15 p.m. in the area of 13th Street and Virginia Avenue. Witnesses reported a terrifying chase, telling police they saw a silver Dodge Charger pursuing Antwine's SUV. Occupants of the Charger were firing shots at his vehicle as they sped through the neighborhood. The pursuit ended violently when Antwine’s SUV, riddled with bullets, crashed and overturned, coming to rest on its roof. When first responders arrived, they found Antwine inside the wrecked vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene, leaving investigators to determine whether he died from gunshot wounds, the crash, or a combination of both.

The Kansas City Police Department immediately began a homicide investigation. Detectives processed the scene at 13th and Virginia, collecting evidence from the shot-up SUV and the surrounding area. The assailants in the silver Dodge Charger had fled, disappearing after the crash and leaving a significant void in the case. In the days following the murder, police appealed to the public for information, hoping someone might have seen the suspect vehicle or known what led to the deadly confrontation. A brief obituary was published, announcing that funeral services for Calvert "Papoose" Antwine II would be held at the Memorial Missionary Baptist Church, with his burial at Forest Hill Cemetery.

As the investigation continued without any arrests, public attention turned to Antwine’s alleged connection to the high-profile, unsolved 2004 murder of California rapper Andre Hicks, known as Mac Dre. Hicks was killed on a Kansas City highway when his van was fired upon, causing a crash. Numerous investigative reports and witness statements over the years have implicated Antwine as the driver of the car from which the fatal shots were fired. Though he was questioned multiple times, he was never charged in connection with Mac Dre's death. The striking similarities between the two homicides—a vehicle pursuit, a barrage of gunfire, and a fatal crash—led to widespread speculation that Antwine's death was a retaliatory killing for his alleged role in the rapper's murder nearly ten years prior.

This theory, while never officially confirmed by law enforcement, has become the dominant narrative in the absence of other motives or suspects. Antwine’s own father, Calvert L. Antwine Sr., had a serious history with the law, having been convicted for a 1983 double murder in a case that saw his initial death sentence overturned. The younger Antwine also had his own criminal record in Missouri.

Years have passed since Calvert Antwine's life was cut short. The case, handled by Detective Mark Spiegel among others, has grown cold. No suspects have been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made. His name is now listed among the dozens of unsolved homicides that the Kansas City Police Department continues to investigate, a painful reminder for a family still waiting for answers and justice.

As of today, the case officially remains open but inactive. The Kansas City Police Department and the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers continue to solicit information from the public. A reward of up to $25,000 is available for any tips that lead to an arrest. Authorities urge anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to contact the KCPD Homicide Unit at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).