Nursing home employees exchanged gunfire over texts to man’s girlfriend: police
A man accused of opening fire on a coworker at a Leawood senior living facility in February had reportedly threatened the victim in the past for texting his girlfriend, authorities said.
Darrick Dekovan Miller faces one count of attempted first-degree murder in Johnson County court after he allegedly fired toward his coworker at the Healthcare Resort of Leawood on Feb. 10.
Officers with the Leawood Police Department responded to the facility, 5401 W. 143rd St., around 3:30 a.m. Feb. 10 on reports of an armed disturbance, said Capt. Jason Ahring, a spokesperson for the department.
Several callers reported that shots had been fired inside the facility near the nurses’ station, according to an affidavit filed in support of Miller’s arrest.
At the facility, officers encountered a man who raised his hands and indicated that he was armed, according to the affidavit. The man said Miller had shot at him. He told investigators he returned fire.
Before the shooting, Miller and the man had “exchanged words” over texts between the man and Miller’s girlfriend, who also worked at the facility, the affidavit said. The man told investigators Miller had made “some threats” regarding the texts, with Miller saying he “would be willing to ‘take it outside,’” the affidavit said.
Security footage showed Miller scanning a key card to unlock the facility’s front door, according to the court document. Once inside, he fired several shots, then fled, the affidavit said.
Footage showed the victim sitting at a table in the dining hall near the nurses’ station. After hearing two rounds of gunfire, he jumped from his seat and took shelter behind a wall.
The man told investigators he had wondered why he had not been hit by gunfire, as he felt that Miller was “dead-on” him, he told investigators. He said he fired one round in return before trying to escape through a locked kitchen door. After running from the building, he was later found, along with a woman, in a vehicle parked at an apartment complex, according to court documents.
The woman was later taken into custody. She told investigators that Miller had asked her to pick him up near the facility. She said Miller told her that “someone had tried to kill him,” and had her drive to the apartment complex.
There, she asked Miller if he was coming inside; he told her not then, the affidavit said. The woman denied knowing anything about a gun.
After reviewing traffic camera footage, which reportedly showed Miller running from the scene, a K-9 officer located a silver handgun near a treeline, according to the affidavit.
Miller is being held in the New Century Adult Detention Center in Johnson County on a $750,000 cash-only bond, according to the jail’s inmate listing. He is set to appear for a status hearing on March 26.
The Star’s Robert A. Cronkleton contributed reporting.
This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 11:21 PM.
