KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating the death of a man in church in Kansas City have determined the death is a homicide.
Just after 2:30a.m. Feb. 1, police were dispatched to the 2400 block of Chestnut in Kansas on a reported incident with the Kansas City Fire Department.
Fire crews responded to the area to extinguish a fire in a church. Upon bringing the fire under control, fire crews located a victim inside of the building, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.
The KCPD Bomb and Arson detectives, along with crime scene personnel responded to the scene to gather evidence and collect witness statements.
KCPD detectives were notified at a later time that the medical examiner had discovered the deceased victim was suffering from a gunshot wound.
The medical examiner is still working to determine the final cause of death, however further investigation has resulted in this death being suspicious in nature and is subsequently being investigated as a homicide.
The victim has been identified as 66-year-old Dwayne Blair, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.
Homicide detectives have assumed responsibility of the case and will be working to determine the series of events that took place leading up to the fire. Police are making progress in identifying a person of interest and no one is currently in police custody, according to