KC man charged in fatal shooting of woman during attempted robbery in Independence
A Kansas City man has been charged in relation to the fatal shooting of a woman during an attempted robbery in Independence earlier this month, prosecutors say.
Ivory D. Alford, Jr., 18, has been charged with second-degree murder related to the killing of Shonay Persinger, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday. Alford is also charged with first-degree attempted robbery.
Independence police were called just before 11 p.m. Aug. 13 to the 9300 block of East 16th Street on a shooting.
Officers found Persinger with a gunshot wound to her chest. She was declared dead at the scene.
Alford was later identified as a possible suspect in the shooting, police said. Detectives who accessed his Facebook account through a search warrant found messages sent before and after Persinger’s killing that implicated Alford in her death, court records show.
Police arrested Alford Wednesday. At first he said he knew about the robbery, but wasn’t present for it. But during a later interview, he admitted to setting up the robbery “to steal drugs and money,” charging documents show.
Alford said he had four accomplices to the crimes, according to court records. He denied shooting Persinger.
Prosecutor’s request that Alford’s bond be set at $50,000.
Alford was also listed as a suspect in a July 7 armed robbery in Gladstone, court records show. Police allege he robbed three people of their cell phones and other electronics with the help of two other men.
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.
