Kansas City teen who was 17 at time of fatal shooting in Independence to be tried as adult

A Kansas City teenager has been charged in the February shooting death of another teen in Independence.

Marquis Henderson, 18, was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and two counts of armed criminal action, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office said Friday.

Police were dispatched on February 8 to the 3300 block of South Sterling Ave. Officers found a 17-year-old boy who had been shot at least once in the chest lying in the breezeway of the apartment building, according to charging documents. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A witness told police that he and the victim were supposed to be meeting Henderson and two others to trade a rifle for handguns. When the witness and victim came outside and handed over the rifle, Henderson and the two men allegedly started hitting them with their guns. The victim ran away and when the witness heard a gunshot, he also ran, court records said.

During a search warrant where Henderson was taken into custody, two rifles were found, one of which was the make and model of the stolen rifle, court documents said.

Facebook messages between the witness and Henderson said the two were planning to meet up to trade the guns, according to court documents.

Henderson, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was certified to be tried as an adult on June 8, the prosecutor’s office said.

Court records did not list an attorney for Henderson as of Friday afternoon.