In the spring of 2018, the life of 16-year-old Tyson L. White was tragically cut short just steps from his own front door in Grandview, Missouri. On the afternoon of May 29th, the young man, who was a student and football player in the Hickman Mills School District, was fatally shot outside his family's apartment at the Arbors of Grandview. The single gunshot wound to his back proved to be fatal, piercing his heart.
In the moments leading up to the shooting, a neighbor witnessed a car with tinted windows confront Tyson in the driveway before a window was rolled down and the fatal shot was fired. This neighbor rushed to his aid, but it was immediately apparent that his injuries were severe. Tyson was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the senseless killing quickly moved forward, aided by information from the community. It was soon discovered that Tyson had arranged to meet with another teenager that day to purchase a gun for his own protection. The meeting, which took place in a vehicle in the apartment complex parking lot, turned deadly when the seller decided to keep both the money and the weapon. As Tyson exited the vehicle, the other teen fired a single shot, striking him in the back. The motive behind the shooting appeared to be a robbery gone wrong during the arranged sale of a handgun.
Within days of the shooting, an arrest was made. Ja'quann L. McCarver, an 18-year-old from Kansas City, was taken into custody and subsequently charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of armed criminal action in connection with Tyson White's death. McCarver admitted to police that he had agreed to sell a gun to Tyson but decided to take the money without providing the weapon. He claimed that he only fired the gun to scare Tyson as he was leaving and did not intend to kill him. Prosecutors requested a bond of $100,000 for McCarver as he awaited legal proceedings.
