On March 20, 2021, a 31-year-old male named Byren Dennie was fatally shot in the Ivanhoe Southwest neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri. The incident occurred in the early morning hours following a gathering at Dennie’s residence in the 4400 block of Woodland Avenue. Dennie had invited a group of individuals to his home after they left a local nightclub, and during the course of the night, a gambling session began.
Tensions rose among the participants, leading to a dispute that escalated into a physical altercation outside the home.
Witnesses reported seeing Dennie fighting with another man in the street before shots were fired. When police officers arrived at the scene around 6:00 a.m., they discovered Dennie lying in the grass of a vacant lot, suffering from gunshot wounds. He was transported to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment but ultimately succumbed to his injuries. Investigators at the scene recovered several spent shell casings and a distinctively colorful left shoe that had been left behind during the chaos.
Authorities identified a suspect, 21-year-old Zyan J. Teague, a student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, who had been present at the gathering. Witnesses stated that Teague, known by the nickname 'College Boy,' had been arguing with Dennie and was seen leaving the area in a silver sedan registered to his name. Following these leads, police tracked Teague to his dormitory on Troost Avenue. A search of his room and vehicle yielded a matching right shoe, a gun holster, an empty gun box, and ammunition that corresponded with the evidence found at the crime scene.
In May 2021, a grand jury indicted Zyan Teague on charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with Dennie's death. The investigation relied heavily on the physical evidence linking the student to the scene, as well as witness testimonies describing the fight and the subsequent shooting. The case underscored a tragic escalation of a gambling dispute into lethal violence.
