KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A devastating shooting in a quiet Missouri community over the weekend has resulted in the deaths of three family members and their dog, according to authorities. Fifty-year-old Armando Navarro Jr. faces multiple charges including three counts of first-degree murder after the violent incident that shattered the peace of a suburban Kansas City neighborhood.
Prosecutors say the accused was in a volatile relationship with one of the victims, 49-year-old Jodie Hopcus. The tragedy also claimed the life of Hopcus’ 24-year-old daughter, Hailey, and her 73-year-old mother, Sherri Duncan. Additionally, Navarro reportedly fired upon another of Jodie’s daughters, who survived by escaping and alerting a neighbor.
The horrific sequence of events began just after midnight on Sunday when an argument reportedly erupted between Navarro and Jodie Hopcus. Despite pleas for him to leave, Navarro allegedly refused, insisting he had nowhere to go. What was a tense situation soon took a tragic turn as Navarro, after initially starting to pack his belongings, returned with a handgun and shot Jodie in the arm.
Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd, addressing the media, outlined that the situation rapidly escalated. According to the investigation, after the initial shooting, Navarro sought out a knife, prompting Sherri Duncan to intervene. Navarro then obtained a more powerful weapon and fatally shot Jodie as she attempted to escape. The surviving daughter recounted the chilling moments including how she witnessed her grandmother lying motionless and was urged to flee by her sister Hailey, who was soon afterward shot by Navarro as well.
In a desperate bid for escape, the surviving daughter narrowly missed being shot herself, as a bullet clipped her hair while she fled. Law enforcement officials later found a 2020 Ford Expedition, registered to one of the victims, abandoned in a ditch 150 miles west in Dickinson County. Navarro was arrested at the scene, where a firearm and spent casings matching those used in the shooting were discovered in the vehicle.
Adding another layer to this tragedy, Navarro’s own son disclosed to the Kansas City police that his father had called him post-incident, confessing to the killings and expressing uncertainty about his next steps.
Currently, Navarro is detained at the Dickinson County jail and is awaiting extradition to Missouri. He has been denied bail, reflecting the gravity of the charges against him.
The community and authorities continue to reel from the shock of this violent act that has not only taken lives but has also deeply scarred the surviving family members and their neighborhood. The investigation is ongoing as officials piece together the events that led to this fateful night.