Two charged with assault in fight before deadly downtown Kansas City shooting
Two people have been charged with misdemeanor assault in connection with a fight that preceded a deadly shooting earlier this year in a downtown Kansas City parking lot across the street from the Power & Light entertainment district, where two were killed and three others injured, prosecutors announced.
The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office has charged Jaylynn Nelson of Independence and Kolton W. Schultz of Kidder, Missouri, both 19, with fourth-degree assault.
The charges are related to but a separate incident from the shooting that killed Kane Taddese, 24, and John Alfaro, 18, and injured three others, Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said in a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I want to be very clear, there were two separate incidents involving two separate groups of suspects that occurred that night,” Johnson said. “First, we had a fight — numerous fights — involving numerous parties that occurred before the shooting rang out. And then, yes, we have the shooting where the unfortunate loss of life occurred.”
Johnson said she went to the crime scene and saw firsthand the extent of the carnage inflicted on the community.
“Because of what I saw, I am interested in holding every single individual that played a remote role in that scenario accountable,” Johnson said.
The shooting remains under investigation, and the prosecutor’s office is working with Kansas City police to identify suspects, Johnson said.
According to court documents, police responded to the shooting shortly after 4 a.m. to a parking lot near East 13th Street and Grand Boulevard.
Arriving officers found five shooting victims. Authorities pronounced Taddese dead at the scene. The four other victims were taken to a hospital, where Alfaro died nearly three hours later.
Police found about 102 spent shell casings at the scene along with three firearms, according to court documents.
Detectives reviewed videos they received from witnesses, victims and surrounding businesses, which show that a large group of people had gathered in the parking lot that night.
The videos allegedly show Nelson, Schultz, and several others confronting one of the homicide victims who was sitting on a barrier. The name of the victim was redacted from court documents.
After the victim stood up, Nelson pushed him, causing him to fall into Schultz, who pushed the victim back toward Nelson. Nelson then pushed the victim into a barrier, according to court documents.
When the victim’s friend tried to intervene, an unknown person pushed him back. The victim then placed the person in a headlock and the two fell to the ground.
While the victim was on the ground Nelson and two others struck the victim in the back of the head, kicked him in the back, stomped on him and kicked him in the face, leaving him motionless., according to court documents.
Nelson then walked over and stomped on the back of the victim’s neck and head as the victim remained unresponsive.
The victim never regained consciousness before he was shot in the head and killed a short time later.
Bond for both was set at $5,000. If convicted, they face up to a year in county jail, according to court documents.
