Man senselessly assaulted in possible ‘knockout game’ attack

Kansas City, MO — A Kansas City man says he doesn't remember a thing about the brutal attack that shattered his face and sent him to the hospital.

However, Frank Kenney says the men who assaulted him will one day have to answer for their actions.

Kenney, 59, was brutally beaten outside his Midtown home near West 39th and Washington streets about 7 p.m. on June 29. He had just finished mowing and put his lawnmower inside his garage near an alley.

Kenney is still suffering from the attack. He is out of the hospital but unable to return to his job as a barber in Grandview.

"I've worked the same job for 37 years. I've done everything you are supposed to do the right way and here I am a victim," Kenney said.

The strangers who senselessly assaulted Kenney did not steal anything. The men left Kenney's keys in his pocket and never entered his home.

Kenney's family worries he was the victim of the so-called "knockout game" where attackers sucker punch unsuspecting victims for the thrill.

Kenney never got the chance to see his attackers, as two men knocked him unconscious.

"Was out of the blue. I don't remember any voices or hollering," Kenney said.

When Kenney awoke, he was in the hospital with a fractured jaw and cheek bone. His mouth was wired shut. He now eats through a straw.

"My life changed that quick. I just realized how fragile our lives are," Kenney said.

Kenney is most concerned over the damage to his eyes. A blood clot caused by the attack has one of his eyes turning inward. He has double vision - a trait a barber can't work with.

"Being a barber until I get that vision back, there is not much I can do," Kenney said.

Kenney's cousin and niece shared his story on GoFundMe. Since then, donations have streamed in from strangers across the country wanting to help with his mounting medical bills.

Kenney said handwritten get well cards give him the strength to focus on the kind people of Kansas City rather than his attackers.

"I'm on the road to recovery. I'm fighting back all the way. The knocked me down but I got back up," Kenney said.

Kenney said he didn't even know what GoFundMe was prior to his beating. Now that he does, Kenney says when he gets back to work, he wants to return the favor others are doing him by helping someone in need.