On the evening of December 7, 2017, a violent double shooting occurred outside a business in Kansas City, Missouri, claiming the life of 36-year-old Black male Reginald E. Jones Sr. The incident took place around 7:30 p.m. at LP's Grocery and Liquor, located in the 4500 block of East 24th Street. Authorities were dispatched to the scene following reports of gunfire, where they discovered Jones and a second victim lying on the sidewalk.
Despite the arrival of emergency medical services, Jones was pronounced dead at the scene along with the other victim, identified as 57-year-old store employee Darryl Singleton.
Investigators learned that prior to the shooting, Jones had been involved in a heated argument with his 18-year-old son, Reginald Jones Jr., over the phone. Witnesses reported that the younger Jones arrived at the convenience store shortly after the dispute, prompting his father to exit the establishment to speak with him. Surveillance footage from the location captured the encounter, showing the father standing outside near Singleton, who was taking a break and smoking a cigarette. The situation escalated rapidly when the younger Jones produced a firearm and discharged it, striking his father. The gunman then turned the weapon on Singleton, fatally wounding the bystander before fleeing the scene in an orange Mitsubishi Eclipse.
Reginald Jones Jr. voluntarily surrendered to police the following Monday and was subsequently taken into custody. Prosecutors charged the teenager with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action in connection with the deaths of both men. During the legal proceedings, the defense argued the case before a Jackson County jury. In July 2019, the trial concluded with a split verdict. The jury acquitted the younger Jones of the murder charges related to the death of his father, Reginald Jones Sr., but found him guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action for the killing of Darryl Singleton. Following the conviction, the jury recommended a sentence of up to 33 years in prison.
