Matthew Bland-Williams was 26 when he was shot and killed in Independence, Missouri on the evening of July 23, 2020. Police were called just before 6:30 p.m. to the 18800 block of East Wigwam Place, where officers found Bland-Williams in front of a residence with gunshot wounds; he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead shortly after.

Investigators identified 23-year-old Arieous K. Walton-Merritt of Lee’s Summit as a suspect and located him at a nearby home with gunshot wounds. Surveillance footage from a neighboring house was used in the investigation; it reportedly showed Walton-Merritt firing two shots, a physical struggle with Bland-Williams, Bland-Williams taking the gun, and then firing as Walton-Merritt fled in a Chevrolet Camaro.

Walton-Merritt was charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. The case later proceeded to trial and resulted in convictions on lesser offenses. Does anyone have information about Matthew’s life in Independence or the neighborhood that evening?