On the evening of July 5, 2026, James Hart, a 51-year-old man from Kansas City, Missouri, was found with critical gunshot wounds in the parking lot of the Willow Crossing Apartments in the 2300 block of East Willow Drive in Olathe. Officers responded to an armed disturbance call at about 7:55 p.m.; Hart was taken to a local hospital and died of his injuries. The death investigation was later reclassified as a homicide and was the first homicide in Olathe for 2026.

Police secured the apartment complex parking lot and said all parties involved had been contacted. A 55-year-old man was contacted at the scene but was not immediately identified as a suspect and no arrests were announced in the days after the shooting. Authorities said there was no ongoing threat and asked anyone with information to contact the Olathe Police Department or the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers anonymous TIPS Hotline.

No motive or details about relationships between Hart and the other involved individuals have been released. If anyone has information about what happened at Willow Crossing Apartments on July 5, please contact investigators.