Man charged for taking gun from homicide scene near Kansas City club, feds say
A man has been charged with illegally possessing a firearm after he walked up and took the gun of a victim killed in a shooting outside a Kansas City nightclub, according to federal prosecutors.
Officers responded to the shooting about 2:45 a.m. Nov. 9 at the Rendezvous Lounge at 11816 Blue Ridge Boulevard, where they found 31-year-old Raymond Douglas suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He later died at a hospital.
As they investigated the shooting, police found surveillance footage that showed Douglas approach a suspect vehicle and appear to retrieve a gun from his waistband, according to charging documents. A suspect then shot Douglas, causing him to fall to the ground.
A man investigators later identified as James A. Jones, 33, was then seen on the video walking up, grabbing the Douglas’ firearm and leaving between nearby businesses, an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit.
The next day, officers found Jones in a vehicle and arrested him near 35th Street and Prospect Avenue. In an interview with detectives, he admitted a handgun found in the vehicle was from the homicide scene, court records show.
Jones was convicted in 2006 of second-degree robbery and told detectives he knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm, according to charging documents filed Thursday in the Western District of Missouri.
He did not yet have an attorney listed in court records who could be reached for comment.
Douglas was fatally shot on his birthday, police said. Authorities have not announced any charges connected to his killing.
Gun violence is the subject of a 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.
