Kansas City man charged with murder in shooting stemming from argument at gas station
A Kansas City man has been arrested in connection to a weekend shooting that left another man dead during an argument outside a gas station.
Isaac Knighten, 40, has been charged with second-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful possession of a firearm and two counts of armed criminal action, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release Tuesday.
Prosecutors have requested that Knighten’s bond be set at $150,000 cash only.
Police were called to a gas station near East 85th Street and Woodland Avenue just before 3 p.m. Sunday on a report of a disturbance with a person armed with a gun, Sgt. Jacob Becchina, a Kansas City Police Department spokesman, said at the time.
There they found an unresponsive man suffering from gunshot wounds outside the gas station. The man, Jayvon McCray, 28, was declared dead at the scene.
McCray’s girlfriend told police that the couple went to the gas station to buy beer when Knighten, who was there with his wife and five children, all under the age of 13, looked at McCray in a funny or strange way. The two men exchanged words near the gas pumps.
Later, before walking into the store where Knighten was, McCray placed his handgun into his pants pocket, court records show. His girlfriend told police he always did this before going into any store.
Inside the store, the two men went “nose to nose,” said the girlfriend, who then got out of the car to try and calm the situation. Knighten’s wife later came over to help the girlfriend try to physically break up the two men, court records show.
McCray pulled out his gun as the argument escalated, according to charging documents. A struggle over the gun ensued and McCray handed the weapon to his girlfriend, who later gave it back to him, court documents show.
Two other men, cousins of Knighten, approached the scene. One was holding both a gun and one of Knighten’s 3-year-old son who had left the vehicle and started walking around the parking lot. Knighten’s other children fled to a nearby relative’s home on foot.
Knighten told police he retrieved his own gun when he saw the cousin, who was holding Kinghten’s 3-year-old, engage in the argument with McCray.
According to surveillance footage of the shooting, Knighten hit McCray with his left hand while clutching the gun in his right hand.
He fired multiple rounds at McCray while his cousins stood between them. Knighten allegedly continued shooting after McCray fell down, court records show. Then he fled in a vehicle with his wife and the 3-year-old. Both were detained for questioning about a mile away a short time later.
Knighten said he shot McCray when it seemed like McCray began to reach for his gun again.
According to surveillance footage obtained by police, McCray did not appear to have a weapon in his hands right before he was shot, and the child began to run back toward Knighten’s vehicle before any shots were fired.
Knighten said he’s never seen McCray before their encounter at the gas station.
The shooting marked the 109th homicide in Kansas City this year. By the same time last year, there had been 78 killings, according to data maintained by The Star that includes fatal law enforcement shootings.
