KC man accused of fatally shooting mother’s boyfriend after altercation
A Kansas City man is facing a second-degree murder charge in the fatal shooting of his mother’s boyfriend.
Lee Burks III, 30, faces one count each of second-degree murder and discharge of a firearm at/or from a motor vehicle or building, according to Jackson County court documents. He was also charged with two counts of armed criminal action.
Officers with the Kansas City Police Department responded to the area of East 18th Street and Prospect Avenue around 7:15 p.m. Sunday, according to a probable cause statement in support of Burks’ arrest.
After arriving, officers were notified the shooting was closer to East 18th Street and Benton Boulevard, according to the probable cause statement. There, they located 45-year-old Monroe Mitchell lying face down near a convenience store. The man had “severe trauma to his head and body” and was covered in blood.
Mitchell was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the probable cause statement.
A witness told officers that he observed Burks approach Mitchell and shoot him, according to the probable cause statement. The witness said he heard “what sounded like five gunshots.”
The witness then watched Mitchell attempt to run away, before the man tripped and fell down a nearby hill, landing near the sidewalk, according to the statement. Burks allegedly followed Mitchell and fired five more shots into the man’s head before running east on Benton Boulevard.
Security footage from the convenience store shows Burks exiting a black Chevrolet Malibu at the gas station, according to the statement. Burks walked around the convenience store and “left a short time later.” He continued south on Benton Avenue.
Another angle of the camera footage showed Mitchell falling down the hill near the convenience store. Burks can be seen walking up to the victim with “what appeared to be a firearm in his hand.”
The security footage shows Burks allegedly firing at the victim, according to the probable cause statement.
Police found “multiple” police reports involving Mitchell and his girlfriend, one of which included Burks, according to the statement.
In an interview with police, the woman confirmed that she had been in a relationship with Mitchell and that Burks was her son, according to the probable cause statement.
The woman said she kicked Mitchell out of her house after an argument and “possible physical altercation” just days before the shooting, according to the statement. On the day of the shooting, Burks came to the woman’s house around 6:30 p.m. to pick up his son.
She confirmed that Burks drove a black Chevrolet Malibu and confirmed the car seen in surveillance footage was her son’s because she could see her grandchild in the front seat, according to the probable cause statement.
Burks is currently not in custody in Jackson County, according to the Jackson County Detention Center’s inmate listing. No further court dates are set in his case.
This story was originally published July 30, 2025 at 4:00 PM.
