Suspect arrested in Kansas City highway shootings

Police have arrested a man linked to a series of apparently random highway shootings that have terrorized drivers in the Kansas City area, officials said Thursday evening.

Officers swarmed a home in Grandview, Mo., a suburb of Kansas City, and towed away a green Dodge Neon with Illinois plates after apprehending the suspect Thursday.

Police Chief Darryl Forte would not confirm the man's name or whether he was the only one suspected of carrying out a least a dozen shootings near a tangle of freeway interchanges known to local residents as the "Grandview Triangle."

“We’ve apprehended what we believe to be the suspect," Forte told reporters outside a home in Grandview, near where the attacks have occurred. www.latimes.com...

Several people have been shot but thankfully, no one was killed
There may have been as many as 20 random highway shootings since March, but police have not confirmed whether all those attacks are linked.

Hopefully this is their guy and the shootings will stop before someone does get killed

Is it just me or does anyone else have any kind of problem with such highly valuable evidence like that car being so closely surrounded by so many officials?

Let's hope they got their man.

Whoever was doing this was a menace. I don't even live in the States and this business had shivers running up and down my spine.

a reply to: intrptr

A group selfie...hey it's all the rage now. Look at me!

Des

Police credit tips, collaborative investigating as keys to arresting shooting suspect

News conference on highway shooting suspect in custody


No charges as of yet, but thank goodness.... a lot of KC Metro area people breathing a huge sigh of relief.

They probably don't have the right guy and using "suspect" as a patsy. Or this is really a publicity stunt to make it look like they actually arrested someone so that people will say" those police guys are great!".

originally posted by: Destinyone
a reply to: intrptr

A group selfie...hey it's all the rage now. Look at me!

Des

First time my husband heard the word 'selfie' was when Obama's selfie at the funeral got hammered by the MSM and he was like, WTH is a 'selfie'?

I said it's just that....a pic of yourself taken by yourself....hence selfie
Boy he is so not into that crap!!!!


On topic
I sure hope this is the right guy in custody
Crazy people out there

a reply to: snarky412

KCPD Chief said in his impromptu press conference (2nd link I posted) that prosecutors will get the stuff put together and charges will probably be filed tomorrow. Sounds like he is their guy. Reports stating they(PD, FBI, ATF) have been watching him for a week now.

However, when asked if there were more suspects he got tight lipped, so there may be more involved. On-going investigation I think is the phrase he used.

Glad they got him. This happened here where I live. I was at the gas station the day before a sniper shot some people there. Makes ya think

Now, I'm looking all around when I exit the vehicle! lol

a reply to: OatDelphi

Typical... only gonna release just enough info to the public to pacify them and yet keep what they don't want known just yet close to their vest until they know with 100% certainty one way or another


[ETA: thanks for the links....]

a reply to: snarky412
This is probably the situation... but the chief has been very close to the vest the whole time. He previously has even referred to the debacle that is the MH370 investigation as being the reason for not releasing info.

I would assume they are awaiting confirmation of gun-powder residue within the vehicle before they drop charges on the guy. But that is just my take on it.

a reply to: Snarl

I don't even live in the States and this business had shivers running up and down my spine.

I know some will take it the wrong way, but here in the states we are exposed to anti gun propaganda all the time. There are probably more wrecks and deaths on a given road than any shooting "spree" in the same given time span.

But a gun is involved so expect to get gun violated by the media.

"Authorities to release more details in highway shootings case (12:30 p.m.)". - KMBZ TV-9 K.C.

A press conference has been scheduled for 12:30pm (CST) Friday, regarding the man taken into custody.

Mohammed Whitaker has been charged with 18 felony charges in conjunction with 9 of the highway shootings.

The investigation is not done, and more charge may be coming.

originally posted by: OatDelphi
Mohammed Whitaker has been charged with 18 felony charges in conjunction with 9 of the highway shootings.

The investigation is not done, and more charge may be coming.

What got me was his fathers response:

“To my knowledge, he’s never fired a gun” the father told the newspaper. “I’m totally shocked by all this.”

I bet he is shocked

However, that's one of the main problems now a days.....no over sight with the parents
Parents are out of the loop as to what their kids are doing
Not sure if it's from being to preoccupied themselves with daily life or just don't care

Him being 18, the kid-----no, he's not kid --- the guy didn't even consider what it would do to his family when he got caught. Unless he thought he wouldn't

Curious as to why he did this
I hope it doesn't have anything to do with hate [his name/picture]
Wonder if victims were different races or just white

Regardless, hope he gets what he deserves
Ruined his life.............stupid!!!

a reply to: snarky412

Innocent till proven guilty, first and foremost.

But yes it sounds like the entire town of Moberly is shocked by the news. Supposedly him and his brother were well respected boys who never caused trouble.
(www.kshb.com...)

And from what I have seen his father doesn't even think it was possible...

Before charges were announced, FOX 4′s Robert Townsend spoke with Whitaker’s father, Edward Whitaker, who said his son is innocent.

“My son is not the highway shooter,” Edward Whitaker said. “I don’t think he did what they are accusing him of. He is not a murderer or a shooter. He’s not a violent person.”

Edward said he spoke with his son a couple of weeks ago.

“We last talked April 7th, and everything appeared to be normal,” he said. “He asked to borrow some money.”

But officials seem pretty certain... so it looks like the father may have an apparent disconnect with his son.

According to court documents, ballistics tests connected .380 caliber bullets recovered from shooting incidents from March 18 to April 6. Witness reports linked Whitaker’s car to the crimes. Additionally, court records indicated while Whitaker was under police surveillance, he was seen pacing cars in their blind spots while on the highway.

Mohammed Whitaker charged with Kansas City highway shootings

PS- I haven't seen anything confirming they have the weapon yet...

a reply to: OatDelphi

True...I hope they have actual evidence and not grabbing someone just to appease the public
Sounds like they got their guy tho, if they've been watching, gathering ballistics and such

But it's such a shame
How many times have we heard -- 'Oh he was such a nice young man' -- in past crimes?
Makes one wonder what makes a person snap like that

I feel for his family as well as the victims
Hope the truth will come out as to why, if he's the one that did do it
Hate to see someone ruin their life like that

a reply to: OatDelphi


Hey, just found out a little more info on what led up to the police finding the suspect

October 2013 case helps police nab highway shooting suspect

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Dwight Tolbert and his wife Quenlin were enjoying a quiet evening in the south Kansas City home they had moved to just a few months prior when the October calm was shattered by a loud noise coming from their bathroom. Tolbert, a retired meat-cutter, got up to investigate. When he found a .380 slug on the floor of his bathroom surrounded by broken tile, he was shocked.

Seems as tho a neighbor had a bullet go through his home back in Oct., case remained unsolved until now
And evidently the casing matches the others at the crime scenes



Also this:

Tips Lead to Arrest in Series of Roadway Shootings Around Kansas City

Investigators then learned that last October, the people living in the house behind that address called the police after hearing a loud noise and finding a .380-caliber bullet on their bathroom floor, which police later found to match the ones recovered from the shootings.

Investigators also got a call from a man at an address in the area where the shootings occurred after he discovered a Walmart bag with spent shell casings and ammunition boxes. Mr. Whitaker’s fingerprints matched those on the bag and the box, the authorities said.

On April 10, the police’s license plate reader picked up the plate the witness had given them, and they began surveillance on a green Dodge Neon that Mr. Whitaker drove.

And they also watched him trying to purchase a gun in a Bass Pro parking lot

Over the next few days, they saw Mr. Whitaker meeting with a man in the parking lot of a Bass Pro Shop inspecting a handgun with a laser sight that the man was selling. The man later told the authorities that he did not know Mr. Whitaker and gave them the cellphone number that Mr. Whitaker had texted him from in response to an online advertisement for the gun. The man told the police that when he asked for identification, Mr. Whitaker said he had lost it in a bar.

Not looking good for this guy
Looks as tho he was ready to purchase yet another gun

Glad they were able to find him when they did
He might have seriously hurt if not killed someone

a reply to: snarky412

Nice work...

I almost want to take everything you have posted and copy it to a thread I participated in where people were trying to downplay the use of crime-stoppers tips. This is a perfect example of the community keeping their eyes open and coming forward with useful info.

a reply to: OatDelphi


Use what you need

Sometimes it takes people to help law-enforcement officers to help solve a crime
It may take weeks but with the help of others, anything is possible