Crime
50-year-old Dennis Sharkey killed after shooting on I-29 near NW 72nd Street in Platte County
Authorities have identified the victim of a fatal shooting that occurred Friday night, prompting a partial closure of Interstate 29 in Platte County.
The incident was reported shortly after 7 p.m. on the off-ramp of I-29 and Northwest 72nd Street.
According to the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD), officers responded to a call about a vehicle that had veered off the roadway.
Upon arrival, officers located the vehicle south of Northwest 72nd Street, off the highway on the southbound side. The car had come to rest against a barrier fence on an embankment along the outer road.
Inside the vehicle, police discovered 50-year-old Dennis A. Sharkey, a resident of Liberty, Missouri. Sharkey appeared to have sustained gunshot wounds and was unresponsive.
He was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the shooting likely occurred while Sharkey was driving southbound on I-29, at or just north of the Northwest 72nd Street area. The motive and circumstances leading up to the shooting remain under investigation.
Detectives from KCPD are working to piece together the events that led to this tragic incident. Authorities are urging anyone who was in the area of I-29 between Barry Road and Northwest 72nd Street at the time of the shooting to come forward if they heard or saw anything unusual.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477. All tips remain confidential, and your information could assist law enforcement in resolving this case.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no further details are available at this time.
AUSTIN, Texas — A man was taken into custody Saturday afternoon following a shooting inside the Austin Central Library that left one person seriously injured and prompted a large emergency response and temporary shelter-in-place order in the downtown area.
According to the Austin Police Department (APD), officers responded shortly after 12:00 p.m. to reports of gunfire inside the Austin Central Library, located at 710 W. César Chávez Street.
Upon arrival, police and Austin-Travis County EMS units found one victim suffering from a gunshot wound.
The individual was transported to a local hospital in serious but stable condition.
Assistant Police Chief Lee Rogers stated during a press briefing that the shooter fled the scene before officers arrived.
After an extensive search, the suspect—identified as 55-year-old Harold Newton Keene—was located and arrested in South Austin at approximately 1:25 p.m.
The library was safely evacuated, and the shelter-in-place alert was lifted shortly after Keene’s apprehension.
Authorities emphasized that the shooting appeared to be an isolated incident involving only one suspect and one victim.
“This was not an active shooter situation,” Rogers confirmed.
Preliminary reports and public records reveal that Harold Newton Keene has a lengthy criminal history, including multiple arrests for assault, family violence, terroristic threats, burglary, drug possession, and evading arrest.
He is described by law enforcement officials as a habitual violent offender who has had numerous prior run-ins with police.
Records indicate Keene was previously arrested for threatening a man with a firearm several months ago and, in a separate incident, assaulted another inmate while in custody at the Travis County Jail.
In both cases, prosecutors later declined to pursue charges.
Authorities have not yet released a possible motive for the shooting or confirmed whether the suspect and victim knew each other.
The Austin Police Department’s Major Crimes Division is leading the investigation.
Anyone with information related to the incident is urged to contact the Austin Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS.