Kansas City man gets 7 years for involuntary manslaughter after shooting victim in face
A 54-year-old man was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison for fatally shooting 38-year-old Charles Blakey while they were driving through the Ingleside neighborhood on Kansas City’s East Side last year.
Curtis Harris, of Kansas City, was ordered by Judge Charles H. McKenzie to spend seven years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter. Harris was also given five years on a count of armed criminal action to be served concurrently with that sentence. He pleaded guilty to both felonies.
According to court records, Blakey was found dead by homicide detectives in a crashed car in the 2800 block of Indiana Avenue on Jan. 26, 2021. He had been shot in the face.
The next day, Harris walked into the East Patrol police station and asked to speak with detectives. During an interview with police, he admitted killing Blakey, but said he shot him in self-defense.
Harris told detectives he and Blakey had purchased marijuana and then struggled over a gun in the car, according to a probable cause statement. During the scuffle, Harris told police that Blakey threatened to kill him.
Harris said he fired about six gunshots at Blakey as Blakey was reaching for a rifle. Then the car crashed in the driveway of a house near 28th Street and Indiana Ave.
Harris dumped the handgun in a trash can on Independence Avenue, he allegedly told police. Investigators later found boots with apparent blood on them and ammunition at Harris’ house, according to court records.
In his sentencing, Harris received 426 days of credit for time already served in the Jackson County Detention Center.
