Woman Arrested Mere Hours After Being Added to FBI’s ‘Ten Most Wanted Fugitives’ List Thanks to Tips
For nearly six years, KaShawn Nicola Roper moved through the country while federal authorities searched for her in connection with a deadly 2020 shooting. Her freedom ended on a Florida roadway Wednesday, and it ended fast.
The FBI had listed Roper, 50, on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives roster just one day earlier — a designation the bureau reserves for the nation’s most elusive alleged criminals. Alongside that listing came a $1 million reward for information leading to her capture.
The phones started ringing almost immediately.
Roper stands accused of opening fire on a vehicle in Missouri in August 2020, with two women inside absorbing the impact of multiple rounds. One woman survived. The other did not.
The shooting sent shockwaves through the local community and launched what would become a prolonged federal investigation stretching across multiple states and jurisdictions.
What followed that summer day was a years-long disappearance — Roper moving undetected while investigators pursued the case across state lines and through the federal system.
Authorities worked the case without rest, but Roper remained beyond their reach, surfacing nowhere long enough to be caught.
The FBI’s decision to escalate her case to the Ten Most Wanted list on Tuesday changed the equation overnight.
That list, one of American law enforcement’s most recognized tools, carries significant weight — both in terms of public awareness and in the resources the bureau dedicates to resolving each case on it.
By Wednesday morning, the bureau’s National Threat Operations Center had fielded multiple tips originating out of Florida.
Callers described a woman bearing a strong resemblance to Roper frantically loading a vehicle with her possessions — behavior that drew immediate attention from those who recognized her.
The tips reached law enforcement partners, who wasted no time acting on them.
The coordination between agencies was swift and precise, with multiple law enforcement entities communicating in real time to close in on the suspect’s location before she could move again.
Using the vehicle description relayed by tipsters, officers conducted a traffic stop and took Roper into custody.
She was subsequently transported to the Alachua County Jail, where she now faces charges of second degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon stemming from the Missouri incident.
The FBI had listed Roper, 50, on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives roster just one day earlier — a designation the bureau reserves for the nation’s most elusive alleged criminals. Alongside that listing came a $1 million reward for information leading to her capture.
The phones started ringing almost immediately.
Roper stands accused of opening fire on a vehicle in Missouri in August 2020, with two women inside absorbing the impact of multiple rounds. One woman survived. The other did not.
The shooting sent shockwaves through the local community and launched what would become a prolonged federal investigation stretching across multiple states and jurisdictions.
What followed that summer day was a years-long disappearance — Roper moving undetected while investigators pursued the case across state lines and through the federal system.
Authorities worked the case without rest, but Roper remained beyond their reach, surfacing nowhere long enough to be caught.
The FBI’s decision to escalate her case to the Ten Most Wanted list on Tuesday changed the equation overnight.
That list, one of American law enforcement’s most recognized tools, carries significant weight — both in terms of public awareness and in the resources the bureau dedicates to resolving each case on it.
By Wednesday morning, the bureau’s National Threat Operations Center had fielded multiple tips originating out of Florida.
Callers described a woman bearing a strong resemblance to Roper frantically loading a vehicle with her possessions — behavior that drew immediate attention from those who recognized her.
The tips reached law enforcement partners, who wasted no time acting on them.
The coordination between agencies was swift and precise, with multiple law enforcement entities communicating in real time to close in on the suspect’s location before she could move again.
Using the vehicle description relayed by tipsters, officers conducted a traffic stop and took Roper into custody.
She was subsequently transported to the Alachua County Jail, where she now faces charges of second degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon stemming from the Missouri incident.
70-79, M
