Man charged in downtown KC shooting accused victim of ‘ratting’ to cops: court documents
A 21-year-old man is accused of murder in connection with a daylight shooting in downtown Kansas City in mid-October that left another young man dead.
Toney Lamont Powell Jr., of Kansas City, was arrested Saturday and later charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the killing of Donald Moore, also 21. Witnesses said the two were once friends, per court documents, until the suspect accused the victim of “ratting” on him to police in a different shooting investigation.
As of Tuesday, Powell was being held in the Jackson County jail on a $250,000 cash bond.
According to court documents, Kansas City police were first called to a reported shooting near the intersection of 12th Street and Grand Boulevard on Oct. 19 around 5 p.m.
Responding officers found the gunshot victim, later identified as Moore, on the southeast corner with a wound to his abdomen. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance and died there.
Witnesses near the crime scene told police they heard gunfire after an argument involving two men. The shooter was seen running from the scene by two people who were waiting for the bus to arrive that afternoon, according to court documents.
Homicide detectives found surveillance footage from several locations, including neighboring businesses, and determined that the suspect was with a young female before and after the shooting unfolded. Video recorded the shooting itself as well as the suspected shooter’s flight on foot from the crime scene, according to court documents.
Other witnesses interviewed offered direct knowledge of Powell as the suspect, authorities allege.
One relative described contacting Moore over Facetime as he lay on the ground and reported he said “Toney” had shot him, according to court documents. She told detectives Moore and Powell had once been friends but that ended sometime in 2021 when Powell accused Moore of “ratting” on him to the police in a separate shooting investigation.
Another witness described riding the bus with Moore that day as Moore was leaving his job at a pizzeria in Waldo. The witness described going for a quick bite to eat downtown while leaving Moore to wait for the next bus near 12th Street and Grand Avenue — then hearing the gunfire, and returning to find him shot.
On Saturday, Powell was being held in East Patrol as a person of interest in Moore’s killing. He allegedly denied knowing Moore very well and said he had not been downtown for several months, according to court documents.
Court records did not list an attorney who could speak on Powell’s behalf as of Monday night.
This story was originally published November 1, 2022 at 1:21 PM.
