Kansas City man, 35, sentenced to two decades in prison for fatal 2024 shooting
A judge sentenced a 35-year-old Kansas City man to 20 years in prison on Tuesday for a fatal shooting in 2024, Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said in a post on social media.
Jackson County Judge Lauren D. Barrett granted Justyn T. Reedus credit for time already served, including about one year and three months he spent on GPS electronic monitoring, according to court records.
Reedus pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old Ja’Carious McKissic. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to dismiss two counts of armed criminal action and one count of unlawful use of a weapon, according to court documents. The plea came just days before Reedus was to stand trial.
According to court documents, police found McKissic about 11:20 p.m. on May 31, 2024, in the front yard of a home in the 600 block of East 110th Terrace in Kansas City’s Red Bridge North neighborhood. McKissic had been shot, and he was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Witnesses told police that Reedus and McKissic had been arguing inside the home. At one point, McKissic tried to leave, and Reedus followed him out onto the front porch.
Surveillance footage showed Reedus and McKissic continuing to argue on the front porch, then Reedus pulled a handgun, shoved McKissic off the porch and fired at him multiple times, knocking him to the ground, according to court documents.
This story was originally published January 6, 2026 at 3:28 PM.
