Kansas City man charged after allegedly shooting woman in Midtown neighborhood

A Kansas City man is facing murder charges after the fatal shooting of a woman May 13 in Kansas City’s midtown area.

Rasheed M. Turner, 24, was charged with one count each of second-degree murder and armed criminal action Tuesday for his alleged involvement in the death of Layla Freeman, 21, according to a news release from Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office Director of Communications Jazzlyn Johnson.

Kansas City police responded to the area of West 37th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Kansas City’s Valentine neighborhood around 9:45 p.m. May 13 on reports of gunfire. There, they found Freeman dead in the street.

During a canvass of the neighborhood, witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots followed by a woman screaming, “Please don’t, no … please,” followed by another round of gunshots, according to a probable cause statement for Turner’s arrest.

May 13 was Freeman’s 21st birthday, according to court documents.

Witnesses then saw a man leave the scene in a blue Ford Mustang, according to court documents.

In an interview with police, Freeman’s cousin told officers she was on FaceTime with Freeman around 6:30 p.m., according to court documents. Freeman told the cousin Turner had persuaded her to meet with him because “he had a birthday present for her.”

The call ended when Freeman told her cousin Turner was there to pick her up, according to the probable cause statement.

Freeman had a temporary protection order against Turner at the time of the incident, according to court documents. On the woman’s iPhone, officers found multiple text messages between the pair.

Officers later found a Facebook account allegedly tied to Turner, in which the man messaged Freeman asking to meet the woman so he could “profess his love” for her, according to the probable cause statement.

The account also featured photos of Turner and a blue Ford Mustang, according to court documents.

Turner is being held without bond at the Jackson County Detention Center, according to the jail’s inmate listing.