Prosecutors charge 32-year-old man in fatal June shooting near 36th, Olive streets
Jackson County prosecutors on Friday charged a 32-year-old man in a fatal shooting that took place earlier this month.
Kevin Randolph faces two charges, second-degree murder and armed criminal action, in the June 15 shooting of 45-year-old Derrick Williams, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Kansas City police responded about 2:45 p.m. to the 3600 block of Olive Street where they found Williams inside a home suffering from gunshot wounds. He died at the scene. His death marked the 70th killing in Kansas City this year, according to data maintained by The Star.
Witnesses told police the suspect went to the home asking about drugs, according to charging documents, and that the house was a “known location where PCP is sold.” When someone told Randolph they didn’t have anything, he gave a thumbs up and left. Shortly after, Randolph returned, yelling “where’s the money at?” and pointing a black gun.
Williams told Randolph that he didn’t have to do this, according to court documents, and to put the gun away. Witnesses said three to four gunshots were fired before Randolph left the house.
Later, while police were still investigating the first scene, officers were dispatched to East 45th and Olive streets on a reported armed man — later identified as Randolph — who was waving a gun and trying to open front doors of nearby homes.
Randolph, who is homeless, was arrested without incident, according to court documents. Randolph told police he had a gun in his pants. They removed a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun with the same head stamp and caliber as the shell casings found at the shooting scene.
The court documents also cite a a video posted to Facebook the next day, in which a man told someone else that he was going to kill someone and then killed someone. The dealer tag of the vehicle seen in the video also matched the one cameras detected near the homicide scene before it happened.
Randolph was previously found guilty in Jackson County Circuit Court for possession of a controlled substance, and in Clay County convicted of third-degree assault, according to court documents.
Prosecutors asked for a $250,000 cash bond.
Gun violence is the subject of a statewide journalism project The Star is undertaking in Missouri this year in partnership with the national service program Report for America and sponsored in part by Missouri Foundation for Health. As part of this project, The Star will seek the community’s help.
To contribute, visit Report for America online at reportforamerica.org.
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