Kansas City man charged with murder in shooting after dispute at gas station
A Kansas City man is facing a murder charge following a December shooting at a gas station on the city’s east side.
Ramel Morgan faces one count each of second-degree murder and armed criminal action, according to a Jackson County complaint.
On Dec. 7, 2025, officers with the Kansas City Police Department were called to a Phillips 66 Gas Station at 11:49 p.m. in the 2900 block of Van Brunt Boulevard on reports of a shooting, according to a probable cause statement in support of Morgan’s arrest.
There, officers were unable to locate a victim or a suspect. A witness told investigators that a man had exited the store and fired several shots toward a silver Ford Mustang in the gas station’s parking lot, the probable cause statement said.
Court records indicate that on Dec. 8, 2025, around 12:30 a.m., officers were dispatched to an area hospital regarding the shooting. In the parking lot, investigators were able to locate the silver Mustang, which had apparent bullet damage to its back windshield and window frame.
Investigators located a handgun in the front passenger floorboard of the Mustang, according to the probable cause statement. The victim, 23-year-old Michael Weintraub, was pronounced dead at the hospital around 2 a.m.
Surveillance footage from the gas station showed a gray Hyundai Sonata arrived at the gas station at 11:41 p.m., the probable cause statement said.
Three people exited the vehicle and entered the gas station. Minutes later, the Mustang pulled into the parking lot, court records indicate. At that time, the driver of the Hyundai, believed to be Morgan, exited the vehicle. He entered the store, before exiting and returning several times, holding an object believed to be a handgun.
Morgan then approached the passenger side of the Mustang, where he shared a brief exchange with Weintraub before firing several shots into the vehicle, according to the probable cause statement.
Morgan reportedly fled the scene on foot, the probable cause statement said. The other three individuals left the scene in a black Jeep. Investigators later found the Hyundai Sonata in the gas station parking lot.
A witness told investigators they saw Morgan exit the store with a gun, according to the probable cause statement. They overheard Morgan allegedly tell another person to leave the gas station before he “killed” the victim.
The other witness did not leave, and gunshots were heard shortly after.
The witness contacted a relative, who picked them up and took them to a residence, court documents said. Morgan later arrived at the residence, and reportedly said he shot the victim, who Morgan said had a gun.
Morgan told witnesses he believed he and Weintraub were romantically involved with the same woman, according to the probable cause statement.
In a GoFundMe fundraiser, Weintraub was described as having “the heart, responsibility, and wisdom of someone far beyond his years.” He was a father to two young children.
Morgan is being held on a $200,000 cash-only bond, according to a press release from Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office Director of Communications Jazzlyn Johnson.
This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 5:35 PM.
