by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
April 16, 2026
Ahead of her arrest, KaShawn Nicola Roper was on the FBI’s high priority tasks, with the federal agency initially telling the public to remain alert for the armed and dangerous woman.
A Black woman on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list has been found and arrested in Florida.
Ahead of her arrest, KaShawn Nicola Roper was on the FBI’s watchlist, with the federal agency telling the public to remain alert for the armed and dangerous woman. She is currently a suspect in a 2020 shooting in Kansas City, Missouri.
According to reports obtained by 11Alive, Roper allegedly fired multiple shots at a car, hitting two women. One of the shooting victims died from the gunshots.
Authorities charged Roper with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon. However, she managed to escape police custody for years until now.
In 2021, law enforcement issued a federal arrest warrant for Roper on another charge, listed as unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Investigators uncovered the 50-year-old’s ties to Georgia, encouraging the state’s residents to disclose any information if spotted.
As she remained unaccounted for, the FBI’s Most Wanted team established a reward of up to $1,000,000 for information leading to her arrest. According to her FBI Most Wanted poster, Roper used various aliases and maintained connections across multiple states.
Alongside her given name, the former fugitive also changed her middle name to Nicole or Nicola and adopted another last name, Shaw. As for where agents believed she would escape to, they listed other states, including Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Colorado, and even South Dakota.
Police eventually captured her, but in an entirely different state than expected. On April 10, FBI agents stationed in Jacksonville detained Roper in High Springs, Florida. The federal agents worked with local officers and U.S. Marshals to finally locate the wanted individual after the years-long evasion.
Now, Roper may finally face prosecution for the alleged crime, putting an end to the long-distance pursuit.
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