Man, 19, charged with murder in connection to shooting on east side of Kansas City
A 19-year-old Kansas City man was charged Thursday with second-degree murder in the shooting death of another man during an altercation outside a residence Aug. 1 near the corner of 12th Street and Lawndale Avenue.
Thorne A. McKendrick was also charged Wednesday with unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action in connection to the fatal shooting of Michael W. Brown, 33, of Kansas City.
McKendrick is being held in the Jackson County Detention Center in lieu of a $250,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 27.
According to court records, Brown was shot shortly before 9:30 p.m. in the 5600 block of East 12th Street. Arriving officers found Brown laying in the street with a gunshot wound to the head. Brown was taken to Truman Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.
Homicide detectives obtained security video that allegedly showed McKendrick ride up on a bicycle to a residence on East 12th Street and get into a vehicle. The video also showed Brown walking out the front door of a residence and down to the vehicle. As Brown approached the vehicle, McKendrick is seen on the video getting out of the back seat of the vehicle.
Brown grabbed McKendrick from behind and placed his arms around him. The video showed McKendrick reach for his waistband.
A witness told police he heard a commotion and people yelling.
McKendrick shot Brown as the two struggled after they fell to the ground, according to court records. McKendrick then ran as Brown laid on the ground, prosecutors said.
Several witnesses identified McKendrick as the shooter, according to court records. One witness said he saw the victim struggle with McKendrick. He described the suspect as “a white male with short blonde hair, younger with a red shirt and carrying a flashlight,” prosecutors allege.
Another witness told detectives that he and McKendrick were once neighbors and he tried to mentor him in the past, court records stated.
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.
As part of this project, The Star will seek the community’s help. To contribute, visit Report for America online at reportforamerica.org.
