Kansas City Police Discover Body of Suspected Gunman
Kansas City police have located the body of a suspect believed to be involved in a series of freeway shootings, including one fatality, found in the burned basement of a family residence that had been searched days earlier.
Oscar Sanchez Munoz, 22, is wanted for allegedly firing at a vehicle on June 11 in Wyandotte County, Kansas, where he has an outstanding warrant for aggravated assault with a bond set at $100,000, as reported by the FBI.
He is also the main suspect in five shootings that occurred on June 16 along Interstate 70 in Kansas City, Missouri, near Arrowhead Stadium, which was hosting multiple FIFA World Cup matches.
Family members discovered the body in their home in Independence, Missouri, on Wednesday, and it was dressed in clothing similar to what Sanchez Munoz was last seen wearing. Authorities had thought he escaped during a standoff that ended in a fire on June 16.
According to Kansas City Police Lt. Jake Becchina, the situation was complicated by the extensive damage from the fire that had wrought havoc on the basement. He mentioned that the flooded area was cluttered with debris, making thorough searching nearly impossible. “When the fire was over, there were several feet of water in the basement,” he explained, calling it “one of the busiest basements” he had encountered in his career.
He clarified that the stairs leading to the basement had collapsed due to the fire, requiring investigators to jump down to continue their search.
After the standoff, Sanchez Munoz’s family returned several times to sift through the remnants of their home. While doing so, they detected a smell of decomposition, which prompted them to alert the authorities.
The body was reportedly concealed amid the scattered belongings, and law enforcement needed to devote “significant” resources to remove the debris surrounding it.
Currently, homicide detectives and the Jackson County Coroner are investigating to confirm the identity of the body and establish the cause of death.
The shootings attributed to Sanchez Munoz resulted in the death of one individual, Jeremy Keenan, who was fatally injured when his vehicle crashed into a utility pole. Another person was seriously wounded, and several other victims are anticipated to recover, including an Uber driver who suffered a leg injury while transporting fans to a World Cup match.
Following the shootings, police tracked Sanchez Munoz to his family’s residence in Independence, where a lengthy standoff transpired before the house caught fire.
Initially, it was believed that he had escaped during the blaze, which led to a nationwide manhunt supported by the FBI’s Kansas City field office, offering a $25,000 reward for anyone providing information about his whereabouts.
According to statements from Sanchez Munoz’s mother and stepfather, he had recently started displaying signs of mental health struggles, with his mother mentioning concerns about schizophrenia. They had attempted to secure him treatment at a mental health facility, but he was unwilling to go.
Keenan’s mother expressed her sorrow over her son’s loss but also spoke to the mental health challenges involved. “I hope this brings some light to mental health,” Debra Keenan shared. “A person like this is not in the right state of mind, so I can’t say what he did was right, but I hope he gets help.”
