Man accused of shooting Northland neighbor 13 times was on probation
The 42-year-old Kansas City man accused of murder in the fatal shooting of a neighbor Monday was in the process of asking for a new trial after a municipal court found him guilty of damaging property of the victim’s wife.
The Clay County Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday charged Jeffrey T. King with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in a shooting that killed 41-year-old Chris Wells. King was being held in the Clay County jail on a $5 million bond.
King is accused of shooting Wells about 7:30 a.m. Monday after the two got in a fight. Officers responding to the shooting found Wells suffering from gunshot wounds and lying in the street in the 2500 block of Northeast 78th Street. Wells died at the scene.
Court records show that King was cited in Kansas City Municipal Court in August with destruction of property at a neighbor’s home on the evening of Aug. 1.
At a trial in early November, a municipal judge found King guilty and sentenced him to 30 days in jail. The judge, however, suspended the jail term, and placed King on two years of probation. As part of that probation, he was not to have any contact with the victim and to stay away from the victim’s house in the neighborhood, according to court documents.
Neighbors told The Star that King was on probation following a dispute with Wells where he had broken the mirror off of his vehicle. The victim’s wife was named in court documents as the person King was not to have contact with.
King was also ordered to complete 10 hours of community service within six months and pay $303.20 in restitution to the victim, as well as $292.50 in court costs.
King was scheduled for a probation violation on Dec. 15, but he failed to appear, according to court documents. The hearing was rescheduled to Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a court document shows that King filed a request for a new trial on Dec. 17 in Clay County Circuit Court. He is scheduled to make his first appearance on Jan. 26.
Court records show that King was cited in municipal court twice early last year for health violations involving open storage. In both cases, King was found guilty, but the cases were dismissed in September after he completed diversion agreements.
Records from the Missouri Secretary of State show that King organized Fidelis Firearms KC LC at his home in January 2025 for the purpose of “weapons, guns, classes.” He also created Fidelis Firearms LLC in June 2023 to offer education and entertainment in the weapon business.
This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 4:00 PM.
