Double homicide came after man bought gun from teens at Raytown gas station: authorities

An attempted robbery during a gun sale spurred the shooting that left two 18-year-olds dead outside of a Raytown gas station last month, according to court records.

The double shooting occurred shortly after noon on Aug. 7 near the Phillips 66 station at 8111 E. 87th St. There officers found two gunshot victims, one in the business parking lot and the other in a nearby front yard.

One gunshot victim, Xavion McKinzey, was declared dead at the scene. The other, Jabari Ellis, was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he died.

Details about the case were entered into the court record this week in the form of charging documents filed against Darius Williams, 18, of Kansas City. Williams is charged with armed criminal action and attempted robbery, and is accused of being an accomplice to Ellis and McKinzey.

Williams is the only person who has been criminally charged in connection with the case, though prosecutors could decide to bring charges against others. In a statement Thursday, Mike Mansur, a spokesman for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, said the case was still being reviewed.

Four hours after the incident, the shooter walked into a Kansas City police station and admitted to being involved. During an interview with Raytown detectives, the man — who has not been charged with a crime — said he shot both teens, but said he did so out of self-defense while being held at gunpoint by them.

The admitted shooter told Raytown detectives that he struck up a conversation with the teenagers after he saw them carrying what appeared to be AR-15s in their pants, saying he wanted to buy one. He said he agreed to pay $450 for one of the guns and retrieved that amount from the ATM in the store.

Outside, the man said he opened the trunk and was handed a gun by one of the teens, which he placed inside. When he closed the trunk, he turned around and saw Ellis pushing an “AR” into his chest, the man told detectives.

The man then described smacking the gun away and drawing a sidearm from his holster before opening fire on the group. He told police he shot McKinzey, fired at Williams and then shot Ellis as the young man appeared to be “pointing a gun at him” from the ground, a detective wrote in court papers.

After leaving the scene, the man said he drove to his Kansas City home and put two AR-15s from his vehicle on the living room table. He then had a friend drive him to the Kansas City police station.

Raytown detectives also interviewed another witness who described driving Ellis, McKinzey and Williams to the convenience store that afternoon. He told police he waited in his car outside the store as the three young men went inside to make a purchase.

After they came back to the car, the witness told investigators that Williams, Ellis and McKinzey hatched a plan to rob the man they met inside the store during the firearm sale. As the robbery was unfolding, the witness said, he waited in his car, saw gunfire, ran across the street and later left the scene with Williams.

Williams was interviewed by police on Sunday. During the interview, he allegedly described telling Ellis and McKinzey they should take the man’s gun and money but cautioned that they needed to “do it smart.” He also described the encounter as the man drew his firearm, saying he, Ellis and McKinzey were trying to get the gun away from the man before the shooting started.

The event was also captured on surveillance video, according to court papers. Detectives wrote that the video showed Ellis hold up the shooter at gunpoint shortly after McKinzey exchanged the weapon.

As of Thursday, Williams was being held in the Jackson County jail on a $50,000 bond. Court records did not list a defense attorney who could speak on his behalf.