Second man charged in October 2021 shooting in Kansas City that left three dead
A 21-year-old Kansas City man is the second person charged in an October triple shooting that killed two men and a woman.
Joshua A. Bell faces three counts of second-degree accessory murder, four counts of armed criminal action and one count of unlawful use of a weapon, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday.
In October, prosecutors charged Lucas Baker with three counts of accessory murder, four counts of armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm, court records show.
Kansas City police responded to a shots fired call just before 4 p.m. on Oct. 2 at 27th Street and Spruce Avenue. When officers arrived, they found three shooting unresponsive victims. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police identified the victims as Kanen Wheaton, 24, Devon Key, 24, and Johnnai Owens, 23.
Witnesses told officers that prior to the shooting, a black SUV arrived and the occupants of the vehicle opened fire at the three victims, according to court documents. Surveillance video taken from the area showed the SUV was a Chevrolet Traverse with a Missouri license plate.
Police located the car parked in the driveway of a residence and began surveillance. Officers arrested Baker, who was carrying the keys to the vehicle, court records said.
During an interview with Baker, police showed him an image of the Chevrolet Traverse near the homicide scene the day of the shooting. Baker initially admitted to driving the car, but denied shooting. He then admitted to firing at the legs of the victims, according to court records.
Baker later identified Bell as one of the other people involved in the homicide.
Police obtained search warrants for their phones, according to court records.
On Bell’s phone, police found a video from the afternoon of Oct. 2 recorded by a passenger in a car. Police recognized the interior of the car as a Chevrolet Traverse.
The video showed a person in the front passenger seat holding an AR-15 style rifle. The person holding the firearm also had a tattoo of dice on their left forearm. When police interviewed Bell, they noticed the same dice tattoo on his left forearm, court records said.
Police arrested Bell Oct. 8 but he denied being involved in the shooting and he denied being involved or having witnessed the killings.
He is being held at the Jackson County Detention Center on a $500,000 bond. A defense attorney for Bell was not listed in court records.
