Four Kansas City men charged with 2017 murder of three alleged Tulsa gang members
Four Kansas City men have been charged in the July 2017 fatal shootings of three Tulsa men, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Rashidi Crosdale, 36, Tyree West, 41, Terrence Harden, 31, and Ravon Freeman, 19, were charged in the killings, according to the Jackson County Prosecutors Office.
Crosdale and West each face three counts of both first degree murder and armed criminal action. Harden and Freeman face two counts of both charges.
The men died in two separate shootings during a weekend of violence across Kansas City and Kansas City, Kansas, where seven people were killed and 15 shootings occurred.
The three Tulsa men — 31-year-old John W. Waldon, 46-year-old Darren L. Harris and 49-year-old Andre L. Barnes — left Tulsa to go to Kansas City for an alleged drug deal.
Harris’ girlfriend told detectives that Harris said he was going to Kansas City with Waldon and Barnes. Before he left, he told her that he was “about to go get this money, we about to be back rich,” according to the indictment.
His girlfriend told police she thought the deal was for $50,000 worth of PCP.
Harris had returned to Kansas City, according to the indictment, to get the payment that West allegedly owed him from a previous delivery and a second gallon of PCP. West allegedly owed Harris between $10,000 to $20,000 for an unpaid drug debt, his girlfriend told police. She said she thought Harris was killed because of this.
Witnesses told detectives Harris was with someone they knew as Dirty, who police found to be West. Investigators later found West’s fingerprints in the silver BMW and his phone also pinged in the area.
Harden allegedly texted Crosdale before the shootings at 28th and Myrtle: “It’s all hidden, it’s all bushes.”
Harris dropped the other two Tulsa men off in Kansas City.
Tulsa police said the three slain men were allegedly gang members.
“The three do hang out here together,” Officer Adam Ashley, a Tulsa Police Department spokesman, previously told The Star.
All of the men had spent time in prison before they were killed.
When Kansas City police officers responded about 9:30 p.m. on July 1 to the 1600 block of East 80th Street, they found a silver BMW on the street with Harris’ body inside. The driver’s side window was shattered.
Just over 30 minutes later, police found the bodies of Waldon and Barnes in the street near East 28th Terrace and Myrtle Avenue. Police also found dozens of shell casings at the scene.
In an interview with investigators, Harden said he was at the intersection during the shootings, but didn’t take part. He said he was at the scene to buy marijuana from Crosdale. Harden said he saw Crosdale pull out his gun as two men put their hands in the air before Freeman and Crosdale allegedly started shooting. Harden said he left as he heard the gunshots.
Crosdale’s phone was in the area of the second homicide scene when it happened.
Freeman and Harden were arrested Tuesday. Crosdale and West are currently awaiting trial in federal prison. Crosdale was charged with unlawful transport of firearms. West faces drug and money laundering charges, as well as unlawful transport of firearms.
Prosecutors asked for $500,000 cash bond for each of them.
No attorneys were listed in Jackson County online court records.
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 2:01 PM.
