Man convicted in 1988 explosion that killed six Kansas City firefighters granted compassionate release from prison
Feb. 27, 2026 KMBC 9 News
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One of the men convicted in one of the darkest incidents in Kansas City history is being granted release from prison.
Officials said Friday that Richard W. Brown, one of the five individuals convicted after tens of thousands of pounds of explosives stored at a construction site near 87th Street and Blue River Road blew up, killing those responding firefighters, is being granted compassionate release from prison.
On Nov. 29, 1988, fires at a storage container containing 25,000 pounds of explosives led to an explosion that killed Capt. Gerald Halloran, Thomas Fry, Luther Hurd, Capt. James Kilventon Jr., Robert McKarnin and Michael Oldham.
Witnesses said the force of the explosion turned their 10-ton firetruck "into a piece of shredded garbage."
A memorial in their honor still stands near that blast site today.
Officials with Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight announced Friday that Brown had been granted compassionate release. His life sentence has been vacated, and he's been resentenced to time served with five years of supervised release.
Brown and multiple co-defendants had been convicted of aiding and abetting an act of arson and each was sentenced to life imprisonment.
In Friday's decision, the law firm wrote that the court found "extraordinary and compelling reasons" for the decision. Brown was 18-years-old at the time of the explosion. Attorneys said Brown has seen "substantial rehabilitation," including earning a GED, holding work details, leadership roles, and maintaining a clean disciplinary record for over a decade.
The court also noted that co-defendant Bryan Sheppard, who was a few months younger than Brown, previously qualified for resentencing and received 20 years. Brown has served nine more.
Any fine in the case has also been waived due to Brown's inability to pay.
"As we celebrate this outcome, we honor the memory of the firefighters lost and reaffirm our commitment to a system that recognizes youth-related factors, corrects unwarranted disparities through compassionate release, and allows individuals who have transformed to return to their families and communities with hope," officials said in Friday's release.
