On the evening of April 5, 2019, in Kansas City, Missouri, a tragic series of events led to the death of 17-year-old Deontae Campbell. Campbell, a Black male, was driving a vehicle near the Landing Mall at 63rd and Paseo with another 17-year-old in the passenger seat. The situation escalated after an encounter inside the mall involving Campbell's passenger.
As Campbell drove away from the area, a man stepped into the street and opened fire on their car.
A bullet struck Deontae Campbell in the head, causing him to lose control of the vehicle, which then crashed into a nearby building. Emergency services responded to the scene, and Campbell was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. He succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead the following day. The passenger in the car sustained minor injuries from the crash. The incident was quickly investigated as a homicide by the Kansas City Police Department.
The investigation led police to identify Tracy D. French as the suspect. Surveillance video from the area captured a man, identified as French, exiting a vehicle and raising his hand as if pointing a gun just before Campbell's car crashed. A crucial piece of evidence was a cell phone found at the scene which, after forensic analysis, was found to have French's DNA on it. French was arrested about two months after the shooting. During his interrogation, he claimed that he had been robbed by the teenagers and that one of them had a gun, which prompted him to shoot at their vehicle. However, investigators found no evidence of a gun belonging to the teens at the scene.
Tracy D. French was charged in connection with Deontae Campbell's death. In February 2022, a Jackson County jury convicted French of involuntary manslaughter, unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of armed criminal action. In April of the same year, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the fatal shooting.
