On the evening of May 8, 2020, tragedy struck a residence in the Northland neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri. Police officers were dispatched shortly before 10:00 p.m. to a home located in the 5300 block of Northeast 57th Street following reports of a shooting. Inside the residence, emergency responders discovered 22-year-old male Tyler Genson suffering from a gunshot wound.
Despite the arrival of law enforcement and emergency personnel, Genson was pronounced deceased at the scene.
According to investigators and witness accounts, the victim had been sitting in a chair in the living room watching the movie 'Star Wars' when gunfire erupted from the backyard. Bullets pierced through the back door of the home, striking Genson. Another individual inside the residence sustained a minor injury to the arm but declined medical treatment. Crime scene investigators later recovered more than a dozen. 40-caliber shell casings from the backyard, suggesting that the shooter had approached the house from the outside and fired multiple rounds into the dwelling.
The investigation quickly identified a suspect, and on May 13, 2020, 18-year-old Davonte Cornelius of Lee’s Summit surrendered to authorities at police headquarters. Prosecutors in Clay County subsequently charged Cornelius with first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. His bond was set at $1 million.
Court documents revealed that the shooting was allegedly motivated by an ongoing dispute between the suspect and individuals associated with the residence. During questioning, Cornelius reportedly admitted to firing a Glock. 22-caliber handgun into the home but claimed he believed the house was unoccupied at the time. He further told detectives that in the days following the incident, he had disposed of the weapon by throwing it into a body of water.
