Kansas City, Missouri, June 18 - Police in Kansas City continued searching on Thursday for the person they believe carried out a string of shootings along city highways that wounded an Uber driver who was transporting fans to Tuesday evening’s Argentina v Algeria World Cup match.
The attacks, which police said resulted in one fatality and four additional injuries, unfolded over approximately a 30-minute span and involved multiple scenes along Interstate 670 and Interstate 70. Officers responded to a series of incidents across the city as they worked to piece together the timeline.
Passengers traveling in the Uber recounted the assault to Argentine news outlet La Nacion. One rider described the moment a second vehicle pulled alongside while their car was in motion. "The car was moving, another car came by and shot at it twice," the passenger said. They added that after the driver stopped, they saw he had been struck. "He braked, and I saw his leg, the guy had a hole in it," the passenger said. "We called the police. It was horrible."
Police have stated there is no evidence indicating the shootings were connected to the match itself or to the tournament more broadly.
Authorities have named the suspect as 22-year-old Oscar Sanchez-Munoz and warned the public that he should be considered armed and dangerous. Investigators followed leads to a residence in Independence, Missouri, shortly after the highway attacks, which prompted a standoff at the property. During the confrontation, a fire ignited inside the home. When officers later entered, they reported finding the residence empty.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves addressed the media, underscoring the urgency of the search: "We are hot on the trail of this subject and we want to make sure that he’s taken into custody as soon as possible," she said.
The current incidents come 10 days after a separate shooting that injured nine people, all with non-life-threatening wounds, at a location about four miles from England’s World Cup base camp in Kansas City.
Investigators continue to work multiple scenes, gather evidence and interview witnesses as the manhunt proceeds. Officials have cautioned that the situation remains active and that public safety measures are ongoing while they pursue leads and seek to locate the named suspect.
Key takeaways:
- Multiple shootings along I-670 and I-70 within about 30 minutes left one person dead and four wounded.
- An Uber driver transporting Argentina fans to the World Cup match was shot; passengers provided first-hand accounts to media.
- Police identified 22-year-old Oscar Sanchez-Munoz as the suspect, tracked him to a house in Independence where a standoff and a fire occurred, but found the property empty.