Mother trying to break up son’s fight was shot in head, KC man charged

Bernice Brown was shot in the head and killed in the street when she got in the middle of an argument between her son and another man, according to a court document filed Thursday.

Jackson County prosecutors charged Tyjuan K. Caldwell, 20, of Kansas City, with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of the 43-year-old woman.

Police were called about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon to 50th Street and Chestnut Avenue, where Caldwell lives.

The court document describes a scene of argument and physical altercation in the street.

Brown’s son, identified as Daveion, told police he went to Caldwell’s house because Caldwell owed him money. The two men began fighting and Caldwell’s mother reportedly pulled Daveion off of her son. Daveion said he then started fighting with Caldwell’s brother.

According to the court document: Brown arrived and tried to break up that fight. While Brown and Caldwell’s mother were arguing, shots were fired.

Caldwell’s mother told police she turned, saw her son with a gun and asked him what he had done.

“I don’t know,” she told police her son replied.

Caldwell’s brother told police that Caldwell told him he had shot Brown and was probably going to jail.

Police interrogated Caldwell on Thursday. They said he told them that during the disturbance, he grabbed a gun he kept behind the washing machine and ran back outside.

Police said Caldwell told them he fired three times toward Daveion’s legs when Brown jumped into the line of fire.

Prosecutors asked that bond be set at $250,000.