The Kansas City, Missouri, murder case of Antonio Shanklin remains open

“We’re very busy, but we’re never too busy to … uh … look into any information we receive,” Detective Jonathan Cook of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department told Dateline.

Cook works as a detective in the 10-30 homicide unit and investigates the murder of Antonio Shanklin, a 37-year-old father of two.

At 5:46 a.m. on September 24, 2018, officers were dispatched to the 3800 block of Wabash Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. According to the detective, two people called from this address and reported a shooting. “When officers got there, they found a dead man in the driveway suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds,” said Det. Cook said. “That man was later identified as Mr. Shanklin, Antonio Shanklin.”

“A homicide investigation began and that’s when the 10-30 homicide unit was notified and responded to the scene,” Cook said. Two of the callers from the home testified, but “they didn’t actually witness the shooting,” the detective said.

Cook told Dateline that two people were at the home with Antonio before he left. “They reported hearing six or seven gunshots, got down on the ground for cover and then looked outside to see Mr Shanklin in the driveway,” he said.

The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department has learned that Antonio does not live at this address. “He was at a meeting at that house with a few people who thought he was a friend, and he seemed to be having a good time,” said Det. Cook said. “It turned out that people really liked him.”

Officers canvassed the area “including knocking on doors and talking to people,” Cook told Dateline. “Either people didn’t hear anything, or people heard and didn’t look outside.” Cook says two people who were in the home with Antonio that day have cooperated with the investigation. Authorities have not identified any persons of interest or suspects in the case.

According to Det. Cook, forensics officers of the department recovered shell casings from the scene. They managed to determine that the shots were fired from a 9 mm pistol. “These casings were tested for DNA, but nothing…nothing conclusive was found on them,” he explained.

The office also seized a security video recorder from the house. “It was reviewed by our forensics analyst, but the video was of poor quality,” the detective said. Cook said. The cameras were pointed at the front door and in, not out, of the house. “So the shooting was not captured on video,” he said.

Authorities also checked Antonio’s phone. But, the detective said, “there was no information that led to any suspicious activity or anything.”

It wasn’t long before the branch ran out of contacts. “We’re doing our best to do everything we can to investigate, including, you know, doing detailed briefings and putting our heads together with other detectives to see if there’s anything else we can do,” Cook said. “We’re trying to use all the resources we can.”

Now these efforts are exhausted. “We’re really left hoping that the public will come forward with information,” said Det. Cook said. “I think that’s the way we are in this business.”

Detective Cook emphasizes that his office has not forgotten about Antonio’s case. His business is like this listed in the Unsolved Murders section of their website. “The case is still open,” he said. “We didn’t just, well, sweep it under the rug.”

Dateline tried to contact Antonio’s family to talk to them about the case, but was unable to reach anyone.

Detective Cook is appealing to anyone who knows anything about Antonio’s murder to come forward. “Six years later, the case is still open and we’re still looking to bring someone to justice,” he said.

If you have any information about the Antonio Shanklin case, you can call the anonymous tip line at 816-474-TIPS (8477) or call the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department directly at 816-234-5413 . You can too submit a tip onlinewhere Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for anonymous tips leading to an arrest in a homicide investigation.

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