Man accused of killing six is found not competent to stand trial

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A man charged with killing six people on or near trails in south Kansas City four to five years ago has been found not competent to stand trial.

A judge ruled Monday that Fredrick Scott, 26, of Kansas City, is mentally unfit to aid in his own defense.

Scott is charged with first-degree murder in the separate shooting deaths of 57-year-old Steven Gibbons; 54-year-old John Palmer; 67-year-old David Lenox; 57-year-old Timothy Rice; 61-year-old Michael Darby; and 64-year-old Karen Harmeyer.

All of the killings occurred in 2016 and 2017 along city hiking and biking trails that frightened the community and users of the trails. Scott has been in custody since his arrest nearly four years ago.

Police have said that in the days before his arrest, Scott reported four handguns stolen from him. Police believe those guns were used in the killings and Scott reported them stolen to throw off investigators.

Police have said Scott told detectives after his arrest that he was angry about the 2015 shooting death of his half brother. Scott's mother has said he suffered from delusions as a result of undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenia.

The judge set an August hearing for re-evaluation of Scott's mental fitness.