Three teens have been arrested and charged with the murder of former Kansas City radio DJ and TV personality James “Uncle Jimmy” Dodds.
Videos by Suggest
Dodds was discovered shot at the 3000 block of North 82nd Terrace in Kansas City. Although he was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, he was pronounced dead less than 24 hours after the shooting. He was 64 years old.
According to KMBC, Aaron Johnson, Mark Nash Junior, and Marquel McGee, all 18, were arrested and held at the Harvey County Detention Center in Newton following the shooting.
Kansas City Police Chief Karl Oakman stated that some of Dodds’ family members knew the teens. “So, it stemmed from a disagreement,” Oakman said about the shooting. “But once again, we’re seeing people’s inability to control their anger.”
Dodds’ landlord, Michelle Karanja, revealed that the former radio DJ was sitting in his vehicle when he was shot.
“My husband was home working on the deck, and he heard three gunshots go off,” Karanja explained. “And he started looking around for it. And then soon after, the ambulance and everything showed up.”
The landlord further noted that Dodds’ two sons are moving out of the rental where the shooting took place. “It’s very surprising to have a shooting happen here. He was a very good tenant. We never had any problems with him. It was very quiet over here. It’s certainly a tragedy.”
Law Enforcement Says the Shooting Was Part of a ‘Pattern of Youth Violence’ Within the City
Meanwhile, Oaken stated that shooting was part of a pattern of youth violence within Kansas City. He noted that law enforcement has been targeting gangs involved in the violence.
Oaken noted that there had been more than 40 arrests and eight firearms recovered during the weeks leading up to the fatal shooting of Dodds. He also revealed that drugs have been involved in the arrests, with nearly nine pounds of meth being recovered from the streets.
Oaken said the behavior rests on the troubled youth’s parents.
“I can’t understand going in my 15-year-old’s room and seeing an AK-47 automatic weapon. And I’m like, oh, that’s fine, no big deal,” he said.
In addition to being a radio DJ and TV personality, Dodds was a longtime employee of the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office.