On the evening of January 26, 2022, Austin Michael Knowles-DeClements, a 25-year-old male, was fatally shot in Kansas City. The incident occurred while he was inside a vehicle with a female companion. According to the witness, they were fired upon, and she managed to drive the vehicle away to safety before calling for help. Police responded to a call for medical assistance around 8:30 p.m.
at the intersection of East 10th and Olive streets, where they found Knowles-DeClements unresponsive in the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the shooting led authorities to identify a suspect. Through the use of cellphone records, a composite sketch created with the help of the witness, and DNA evidence recovered from a sandal left at the crime scene, police were able to link Maurice Green to the homicide. Green was 17 years old at the time of the incident. The investigation also revealed that Green and another individual had allegedly purchased marijuana from Knowles-DeClements the day prior to the deadly shooting.
Maurice Green was taken into custody on February 27, 2023. Initially, he denied any involvement in the crime. However, he later admitted to being present at the scene and confirmed that the sandal found belonged to him. The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office charged Green, then 21, with second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon. Following his arrest, he was held in the Jackson County Detention Center without bond, awaiting further legal proceedings.
