KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Police are investigating a deadly home invasion early Sunday morning that left a 28-year-old man dead and his girlfriend critically wounded.

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KMBC reported that five men with guns broke into a home at 54th Street and Park and shot to death Jason Smith (pictured, left). His girlfriend was beaten and shot in the eye, but she was able to escape to a neighbor's house, where she called police for help at about 2:40 a.m.

"She was saying, 'Help, help, Mrs. Brown help me! Mrs. Brown help me!'" neighbor Ben Brown said.

"I mean, I got her. We were waiting on the paramedics, the kids were screaming and crying, and I don't know what to do," Aretha Brown said.

Smith's two children, aged 2 and 3, were home at the time but were not hurt.

Rooney said that investigators are looking the possibility that the murder could be connected to home robberies in the 6000 block of College and 5800 block of Park.

"There were other similar type things that we received calls on earlier, but it's too early to say whether they're related. But we'll be looking to see if there's evidence to gather there to use in this case," Capt. Rich Lockhart said.

The shock of Smith's death is still sinking in for family members.

"He was a very good-hearted person. He would give his last to anybody, and he was always looking to help anybody that needed a helping hand," Smith's cousin, Sherry Ledden said. "There is no need for this, there is no need for people to get killed, not anybody, nobody deserves to die like this, period."

Homicide investigators said they believe Smith was targeted for the crime, but they don't yet know why.

Tips that could help investigators can be phoned into the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS.