Charges: fatal shooting of 19-year-old in Raytown stemmed from ‘drug deal gone bad’
A Kansas City 19-year-old was charged Thursday for the death of another teen in during an attempted drug deal, according to a news release from the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Aaron Michael Hays is charged with second degree murder and delivery of a controlled substance in connection to the Aug. 10 death of 19-year-old Lucas Jester.
Jester was found dead inside a car in the 8400 block of Lane Drive in Raytown on Monday night after police responded to reports of gunshots in the area.
According to the news release, a witness told police that Hays said Jester died in a “drug deal gone bad.”
Prosecutors allege that video confirmed that Hays was in the passenger seat of the car with Jester prior to the shooting and that he fled from the scene on foot.
Gun violence will be the subject of a new, statewide journalism project The Star is undertaking in Missouri this year in partnership with the national service program Report for America and sponsored in part by Missouri Foundation for Health. As part of this project, The Star will seek the community’s help.
To contribute, visit Report for America online at reportforamerica.org
This story was originally published August 13, 2020 at 9:50 PM.
