Two Kansas City men are charged with killing man whose brother was shot 10 days before

Two Kansas City men have been charged with murder in the Oct. 5 shooting death of 35-year-old Ronald Pruitt.

Pruitt was found shot multiple times at a home in the 8100 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard. He was one of two brothers shot to death just 10 days apart in Kansas City.

On Thursday, Jackson County prosecutors announced charges against Jeremiah Ingram, 21, and Rowdy D. Davis, 30, including second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Prosecutors said they had taken a novel legal approach to the case, using the illegal possession of a firearm as a basis for charging both men with murder even if only one of them pulled the trigger.

It is not uncommon for multiple people to face murder charges when involved in a felony that results in a homicide. But prosecutors said it was the first time in Jackson County that a gun possession charge had been used as a basis for a murder charge.

Both defendants were convicted felons, making it illegal for them to possess a firearm. Prosecutors said Ingram, Davis and another man carried handguns into the residence on Blue Ridge Boulevard where Pruitt was killed.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker released a statement about the decision to employ a new legal tactic in the case: “Though such a charge may be deemed novel by some, it is supported by the law and is intended to stop the senseless violence that occurs in this jurisdiction. We will not stand by idly while members of this community are struck down by gun violence. We will take all reasonable steps to stop future violence.”

Ten days before Pruitt was killed, someone shot to death his 23-year-old half brother, DeMarco Knott, on Sept. 25 outside a south Kansas City hotel. No charges have been announced in that case.

Prosecutors have requested a bond of $250,000 each for Ingram and Davis.

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Two Kansas City men are charged with killing man whose brother was shot 10 days before."