Kansas
2 rescued from roof as house fire breaks out in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A house fire broke out early Tuesday morning in the 3300 block of Bales Avenue in Kansas City.
Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from a two-story home and two people stranded on the roof. Both were brought safely to the ground.
The fire was under control within about 18 minutes after crews arrived. No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. (KCTV) – More than 150,000 Jayhawks call the Kansas City metro home. Many of them were at the annual KU Kickoff in Prairie Village Friday night for the unofficial start of the season.
“We’ve come multiple times, but this is our first year as a family and married,” said KU alumna Sara Halpin. “It’s a big deal to be a family friendly event.”
Halpin attended KU as an undergrad and went through its School of Pharmacy. She’s turned her husband, Sean, into a Jayhawk as well along with their baby Thomas.
“I think it’s exciting with Kotelnicki coming back. The offense should be pretty good,” said Sean.
Fans joined in chants and cheers with the Spirit Squad, Big Jay, and Baby Jay. They heard from Head Football Coach Lance Leipold and some of the players, Head Baseball Coach Dan Fitzgerald, Director of Athletics Travis Goff, and Voice of the Jayhawks Brian Hanni.
“I’m excited to see the Jayhawks back in action, see the fans come together and support the Jayhawks again,” said Noah Ginsberg, a KU alumnus. “Seeing everyone back at the Booth have some fun and keep cheering on win after win after win.”
Tents with face paint stations, Jayhawks merch, local businesses and more were set up across the parking lot. Fans of all ages attended and expressed optimism ahead of the season.
“Yeah, I’m excited,” said Jared Rottinghaus, a KU alumnus. “There’s a whole lot of new players. I don’t really know a lot of them yet. Compared to last year, we have a lot of new folks with a new offensive coordinator, so I’m excited to see what happens.”
KU’s first football game is Friday, Sep. 4 against Long Island University at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – No injuries were reported after a fast-moving fire spread between two vacant homes on Thursday, according to the Kansas City Fire Department.
KCFD crews responded to the 6800 block of 13th street around 6:42 p.m. on a reported house fire. When they arrived, firefighters reported heavy flames from a single story home that spread to a second home. Officials said both homes were vacant.
Crews initially tried to fight the flames from inside the house, however, due to the intensity of the fire, the incident commander ordered everyone to evacuate the homes and fight from the outside.
KCFD said the fire is under control and no injuries have been reported. A third occupied home was protected.
The cause of the fire will be investigated by KCFD.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
A Kansas man shot and killed five of his family members, including four young children, then fatally shot himself inside their home, officials said.
The shooting unfolded in Winfield, a small city of about 11,000 residents in southeast Kansas, on Aug. 11, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The Winfield Police Department responded after they received a call at about 8:50 a.m. from the man, identified as 53-year-old Ronald H. Williams Sr., who told dispatchers he had killed his family and intended to kill himself.
The victims were identified as Kelly L. George, 44; Carol A. Williams, 9; Ronald H. Williams Jr., 7; Sarah K. Williams, 5; and Kelly M. Magee-Williams, 3.
Gunman called 911
Ronald H. Williams Sr. called 911 about 8:50 a.m. on Aug. 11 to report he had killed his entire family and was about to turn the gun on himself, Winfield police chief Robbie DeLong said at a news conference, reported the Topeka Capital-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
He said Winfield police happened to be in the area, and were approaching the house when they heard a single gunshot, which was thought to be Ronald H. Williams Sr. shooting himself.
Officers stayed back from the house, establishing a perimeter, until deciding at 10:57 a.m. to “breach” the entrance, DeLong said.
After doing so, they found the six people deceased inside, he said.
There was no ongoing threat to the public, he said.
Suspect showed ‘erratic behavior’ before shooting: Police
Winfield police have had some contact within the past few weeks with Ronald H. Williams Sr., who had been reported to have shown “erratic behavior,” DeLong said.
“I can’t say that anything would have indicated that we would be where we are today,” he said.
Ronald H. Williams Sr. was reported to have shown aggressive behavior by confronting and yelling at people, but those allegations were “not enough really to act on,” he said.
Winfield police had also received reports of shots being fired in the area, but upon following up they were never able to locate a source, he said.
Ronald H. Williams Sr. was a registered sex offender, according to the website of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
Kansas Department of Corrections records show the 6-foot-6, 213-pound Williams was released Jan. 15, 2016, from the state prison system, where he’d served time off and on since 1994 on convictions for theft committed in 1993 in Wyandotte County; attempted indecent liberties with a child and battery committed in 1997 in Wyandotte County; and battery, aggravated battery and violating a protective order, all committed in 2005 in Franklin County.
Williams also committed 32 prison disciplinary violations, state corrections department records show.
Motive remains undetermined
Investigators were still seeking to identify a motive for the shootings.
Winfield is the county seat of Cowley County. It is located about 45 miles southeast of Wichita.
DeLong said that in his 20-plus years with the Winfield Police Department, he wasn’t aware of anything as devastating having happened there.
“I can’t remember anything remotely close to this,” he said.
Murder-suicides rampant in the US
About nine murder-suicides happen each week in the United States, according to a study released in April by the research group Violence Policy Center.
The study examined murder-suicide reports in the first half of 2025, during which time 237 incidents left 526 people dead. Guns were used in 87% of the murder-suicides, according to the center. The majority of the victims (76%) were women. Men were the alleged perpetrators in 92% of the cases.
In another apparent murder-suicide on Aug. 12, authorities in Minnesota said a man killed his wife and child while other children were present inside a home daycare in a Minneapolis suburb. Police in that case were notified by a parent who was dropping off a child at the daycare. Six children around the ages of 5 or younger were unharmed and reunited with their families, police said.
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