Jury finds Kansas City man guilty of murder in death of 68-year-old shot in his driveway
A 28-year-old man is convicted of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a 68-year-old man in Kansas City’s North Town Fork Creek neighborhood last year, court records show.
A Jackson County jury found D’Aires Gadson guilty of second degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm Friday in connection to the death of William Bradford on Oct. 3, 2024.
Gadson was initially charged in October with murder, armed criminal action and possession of a firearm by a felon. Gadson was accused of shooting Bradford after the two argued outside Bradford’s home, according to court documents.
Officers responded to the shooting just before 10:30 a.m. in the 5400 block of College Avenue, near East 55th Street, according to Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a Kansas City Police Department spokeswoman.
Officers found Bradford laying the street with gunshot wounds, Gonzalez said. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
According to court documents, surveillance video from a Ring camera on Bradford’s front door shows the interaction between Gadson and Bradford.
Gadson allegedly fired several shots at Bradford with a handgun as Bradford ran to his pickup truck to take cover, according to court documents.
Gadson’s gun jammed as Bradford hid behind a burgundy Ford F-150 with tan undermarkings to take cover, police said in court documents. Police said that Bradford could be heard yelling for witnesses to call the police before Gadson shot him in the back.
Witnesses reported that Gadson went through Bradford’s pockets before stealing Bradford’s truck and driving away, according to court documents.
According to court documents, Gadson later told police that Bradford fired at least three shots at him during the altercation, and that he searched through Bradford’s pockets to see if he was still armed.
Police previously told The Star they believe Gadson and Bradford knew each other. According to court documents, Gadson’s brother had previously tried to rob Bradford, who had allegedly sold him a faulty car.
Surveillance video from Bradford’s Ring camera on Aug. 30, 2024 shows Gadson arriving at Bradford’s home with a gun poking out of his backpack in an attempt to collect payment for the car, according to court documents.
Gadson was convicted in 2018 for second-degree robbery and armed criminal action, court records show. He was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Gadson is due to appear in court for a sentencing hearing June 5 in Jackson County Circuit Court.
Previous reporting by Ilana Arougheti, Robert A. Cronkleton and Nathan Pilling contributed to this report.
