Man who allegedly shot into Westport crowd is charged with multiple felonies

A man who allegedly drew a gun from his waistband and fired into a crowd of 50 people in the center of Westport's entertainment district early Sunday morning has been charged with multiple felonies.

According to charging documents, a man identified as Davontae McCutchen, 24, of Grandview, allegedly shot two people shortly after 2 a.m. at Westport Road and Pennsylvania Avenue.

He ran from police on foot, and was apprehended.

Jackson County prosecutors have charged McCutchen with two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action and resisting arrest.

Court documents state that an off-duty police officer observed McCutchen shoot into the crowd. McCutchen attempted to put his gun back in his waistband as he ran away from the officer.

It fell to the ground after he was in custody.

Video evidence also captured him running away from police, according to police. Police learned his handgun had been stolen from an unoccupied car two years ago.

The two victims were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

One victim told police he was standing outside a bar when he heard three gunshots. The man started to run, and then realized he had been shot.

The second victim did not hear or see the shooting. He realized he had been shot when he started to feel pain.

According to court documents, McCutchen denied involvement with the shooting after his arrest. He said he ran after hearing gunshots.

Prosecutors also have charged a second man who was at the scene of the shooting.

Anthony Boykin, 26, has been charged with possession of a firearm as a felon.

The same officer who pursued McCutchen said he saw Boykin holding a firearm in his waistband as McCutchen fired into the crowd, according to court documents.

A police officer also observed Boykin, who has previously been convicted on felony robbery charges, standing near McCutchen with a gun in his waistband, court documents say.

Boykin tripped and fell while running away from Westport Public Safety, and a handgun was recovered by police officers.

Boykin has a felony conviction for a 2009 first-degree robbery. He was released from jail on June 22.

He has been charged as a felon in possession of a firearm.

Prosecutors requested a bond of $100,000 cash for McCutchen and $50,000 cash for Boykin.

New security measures — including metal detector checkpoints — supported by Westport business leaders in the wake of other shootings in the entertainment district were not in place this weekend.

The Kansas City City Council approved a privatization effort — in which the city gives the Westport Community Improvement District control of certain sidewalks on weekend nights — late last year.

But those security measures have been delayed by time-consuming requirements, including the need to collect signatures from 22 adjoining property owners, Kim Kimbrough, executive director of the Westport Regional Business League, told The Star.

Kimbrough said he anticipated that privatization — which would affect Westport Road from Broadway Boulevard to Mill Street and on Pennsylvania from 40th to Archibald Streets on Friday and Saturday nights — would be complete by the end of summer.

"We would very much like to be in a situation where these kind of things are highly unlikely to happen," Kimbrough said. "We believe that if the screening had been in place, we probably wouldn't have these problems last night. Unfortunately, it wasn't."

This story was originally published July 8, 2018 at 10:01 PM.