Platte County Sheriff’s Office investigators said they have spoken to a person of interest this week in the slaying of former Mexico Ledger editor Dennis Sharkey, according to a June 9 story in The Landmark, a newspaper based in Platte City.

Sharkey, 50, of Liberty was killed in a shooting on a Kansas City highway Jan. 10. He was found unresponsive from a gunshot wound around 7 p.m. inside his vehicle, the Ledger reported in January. Sharkey worked at The Ledger from April 2023 to February 2024.

Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jeffrey L. Shanks, public information officer, told the Ledger in an email Wednesday that he could confirm that as part of the ongoing investigation into the shooting death of Sharkey that a person of interest was identified and has been interviewed.  

“Due to the continuing investigation and additional leads being followed up on, there is not any additional information to be released at this time,” Shanks said in the email. “When there is additional information to release, there will be a press release distributed.”

He added: “We do still have reason to believe that the shooting death of Mr. Sharkey was the result of a random road rage incident.”

The Ledger reported in January that a press release from the Platte County Sheriff’s Office stated officers went to an area of southbound Interstate 29 near NW 72nd Street following a report of a vehicle that ran off the highway and was resting near a barrier fence.

“Aid was rendered at the scene and Sharkey was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead,” the story stated, noting the shooting remained under investigation and no further information had been released.

Sharkey had been working as a sports reporter for the Platte County Citizen, a weekly newspaper, the Ledger reported.