Kansas City man charged in fatal shooting of woman near Central High: Prosecutors
A Kansas City man is charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a woman outside of Central High School in June.
Richard G. Harris, 37, of Kansas City, was charged in Jackson County court Tuesday with second-degree murder, along with three counts of armed criminal action, three weapons-related charges and one charge of tampering with a motor vehicle.
He is accused of killing Taylor Thomas on June 17 near the southeast Kansas City high school.
Thomas, a Kansas City resident and mother of six, was found unresponsive by Kansas City police officers in a yard near 3200 E Linwood Blvd. in the early morning of June 17, The Star previously reported.
The shooting took place two days after her 29th birthday.
Thomas sustained wounds to the head and neck and was hospitalized for several days. She died on June 19, according to family members.
Kansas City police officers were informed of Thomas’ death in the early hours of June 20, according to court records.
“I will never understand why this happened to you,” Thomas’ mother, Lawonia Carlton, wrote online Monday. “You will always be with me no matter where I go or what I do…and I will fight for justice for you until my dying breath.”
After the shooting, eyewitness testimony directed police to start looking for a suspect driving a red Kia, possibly belonging to Harris’ mother, according to court documents. One witness told police he had seen Harris in the area earlier that day, court documents show, and that he had been fighting with Thomas.
An eyewitness told police that Thomas and Harris may have been romantically involved, and that he was known to be violent with her, according to court documents.
The witness also told police that Harris tried to control Thomas’ access to her money, and that he may have facilitated acts of prostitution in order to collect more money from her, according to court documents.
Surveillance video from midnight to 1 a.m. on June 17 shows Harris and Thomas pulling up to a driveway on Walrond Avenue around 12:30 a.m. in the red Kia and interacting with some people in a silver minivan. After the conversation, Harris and Thomas seem to search for something in the car before Thomas walks away with her hands up, according to court documents.
Video then shows Harris pursuing and striking Thomas, throwing her to the ground, shooting her and driving away, according to court documents.
Harris was arrested Monday. He was previously convicted of robbery, according to court records.
A memorial service for Thomas was held July 6. Her death was the 71st homicide reported in Kansas City this year, according to data collected by the Star.
“She was full of life, and always did what she could and then some for everyone she knew,” Thomas’ sister, Ariel Ellis, wrote online. “She was a breath of life, and loved by so many people.”
