Prominent Kansas City attorney shot to death on front porch

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A prominent Kansas City lawyer was found murdered on the front porch of his home Wednesday morning, reports CBS affiliate KCTV.

Police are looking for the person who killed 39-year-old attorney Tom Pickert, who was shot and killed on his front porch around 8 a.m., just after returning from a walk.

KCTV reports that a van seen speeding away from the scene of Pickert's shooting, and later found in a nearby town, was registered to David Jungerman, a local businessman who had recently been ordered to pay Pickert's client more than $5 million for shooting the man in the leg. A spokesperson for Kansas City Police told CBS News' Crimesider that Jungerman is not a suspect or a person of interest at this time. 

Pickert was a medical malpractice attorney with his own law firm. This summer, Pickert represented Jeffrey Harris, a homeless man who was shot in the leg by Jungerman after he tripped the alarm at his property.

KCTV reports that Harris' attorneys say Jungerman grabbed an AK-47 and handgun and headed to his property without calling police.

"He was looking for a place to bed down that night," said Ryan Fowler, an attorney. "Mr. Jungerman said, yeah, I shot him. I shot him intentionally. But I shot him because he was inside my warehouse charging at me, so I was acting in self-defense." 

Pickert helped win the case for his client, and Jungerman was ordered to pay $5,750,000. 

According to the Kansas City Star, court officials began seizing Jungerman's property last week to pay the judgment.

Pickert is survived by his wife and two sons.