KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A shooting that resulted in a house fire has now turned into a death investigation. Shortly before 10 p.m., firefighters found the body of the man believed to have opened fire and set his home on fire while he was inside.

The home is located in a residential area near the intersection of NE 115th Street and N Cherry Street. It’s about nine miles east of Kansas City International Airport and a few blocks from Nashua Elementary School.

According to a public information officer for the Kansas City Police Department, police first arrived at the home around noon; They arrived after someone called them with concerns that the man inside might be suicidal.

The following statement about what transpired comes from Kansas City Police Department Captain Jake Becchina.

Police tried to contact the man for an hour. When he finally answered, they began to hear gunshots from inside.

“The gunshots continued for a while,” Becchina said. “Some of the bullets actually started to penetrate the exterior of the residence.”

The fire broke out more than an hour later at 4:40 p.m.

After gunshots were heard, police began to evacuate surrounding houses. They used armored vehicles to get people safely out of their homes. Nashua Elementary School staff put the school into “lock and teach” mode early. Clay County Sheriff’s deputies helped modify the dismissal to direct students away from home.

Once the fire started, police had to work with the fire service to assess how firefighters could safely contain the flames, with the risk of continued gunfire. They collaborated to find a safe distance away for “defensive operations,” using a ladder truck to carry water to the house. They managed to prevent it from spreading to surrounding homes.

Since there was no sign of a hostage, they were not taking any chances.

“We don’t know what was inside that residence. “We don’t know what measures a person might have taken and undertaken to create a distracting situation with a fire or something like that,” Becchina said. “So they will take every precaution. They will continue their de-escalation efforts.”

KCFD confirmed the severity of the fire at the home, stating that there was significant damage to the home. Police deployed drones and then robots before allowing firefighters to get close enough to fully attack the fire. When they did so, they found the man dead right in front of the house.

The death investigation will continue after the fire is safely extinguished.

This is an evolving story. KCTV will update this as more information becomes available.

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