Kansas City man pleads guilty in fatal June shooting near Central High School
A Kansas City man pleaded guilty to murder this week in relation to a fatal shooting near Central High School in June 2024.
Richard Gerard Harris Jr., 37, allegedly shot Taylor Thomas on June 17. Harris pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Monday in Jackson County court.
He was initially also charged with three counts of armed criminal action, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and one count of tampering with a motor vehicle, according to court records.
Before he accepted a plea deal, Harris’ jury trial was set to start Monday.
Kansas City police officers found Thomas unresponsive early in the morning outside an apartment building at 3200 E. Linwood Boulevard, according to a KCPD spokesperson. Thomas had sustained injuries to the head and neck. Thomas died at a local hospital on June 19, according to relatives.
Thomas, a Kansas City mother of seven, had celebrated her 29th birthday two days prior to the shooting. A memorial service was held July 6, 2024.
An eyewitness told investigators that Thomas and Harris had been seen together in the area hours before the shooting, and that they had been arguing, according to court documents. Surveillance footage captured between midnight and 1 a.m. on June 17, 2024 shows Thomas and Harris arriving together in a red Kia and interacting with occupants of another car before seeming to search for something in the Kia, according to court documents.
The footage then shows Harris attacking Thomas from behind, throwing her to the ground, shooting her and driving away, according to court documents.
Witnesses told investigators that Thomas and Harris may have been romantically involved, according to court documents, and that he was known to be violent with her. One witness also told investigators that Harris controlled Thomas’ access to money and may have coerced her into acts of prostitution, which he organized and from which he profited.
A sentencing hearing for Harris will take place in Jackson County court next month, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office. Communications director Jazzlyn Johnson told The Star that state attorneys are seeking a 22-year prison sentence for Harris , while attorneys for Harris are seeking a 10-year sentence.
Thomas’ death was the 71st homicide reported in Kansas City in 2024, according to data collected by the Star.
This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 10:01 PM.
