In the late afternoon of July 29, 2018, tragedy struck at the intersection of 51st Street and Swope Parkway in Kansas City, Missouri. African American Leonard Joyner III, a 57-year-old resident known affectionately as 'Junior' or 'Lenny,' was driving his cream-colored Lincoln Town Car when he became involved in a minor traffic collision. Witnesses and investigators reported that Joyner’s vehicle had apparently rolled backward at a stop sign, lightly bumping the front of a white Chevrolet
Trailblazer positioned behind him. Joyner, who worked as a mover and was described by friends and family as a 'peacemaker,' reportedly attempted to settle the matter amicably by offering cash for the negligible damage.
The situation escalated rapidly when the occupants of the SUV, rather than accepting the gesture or exchanging information calmly, responded with violence. According to charging documents, the driver of the SUV was an 18-year-old woman named Rafeasia Kirkland, and her passenger was her 19-year-old boyfriend, Trevyon D. Shepheard. Despite Joyner’s attempt to de-escalate the situation, Shepheard allegedly retrieved a handgun and fired multiple shots at the 57-year-old. Joyner was struck several times and was pronounced dead at the scene by responding officers. The couple then fled the area in their vehicle, leaving Joyner lying in the street near his car.
Kansas City police launched an investigation, utilizing surveillance footage from a nearby apartment complex to identify the suspect vehicle as it sped away. Detectives also received tips from the community, including information that Kirkland had recorded the encounter on her cell phone, a video that Shepheard later claimed they deleted. Authorities tracked the pair to an apartment complex in east Kansas City where they were taken into custody. During questioning, Shepheard claimed that Joyner had reached for a weapon, prompting him to fire in self-defense. He alleged that he took Joyner's gun, realized it was a fake or BB gun, and threw it out the window as they fled. However, witness accounts contradicted the claim of aggression by the victim, describing Joyner as trying to resolve the fender bender peacefully.
Prosecutors subsequently filed charges against both teenagers in connection with the homicide. Trevyon Shepheard was charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and tampering with physical evidence. Rafeasia Kirkland faced a felony charge of tampering with physical evidence for her role in the aftermath of the shooting. The senseless nature of the crime, sparking from a minor traffic mishap, left Joyner’s family and the community in mourning for a man who was days away from celebrating his 58th birthday.
