On the afternoon of January 3, 2017, police officers in Riverside, Missouri, responded to a report of shots fired at the Northcrest Apartments located in the 5300 block of Northwest Karen Boulevard. Upon arrival at the scene around 1:40 p.m., authorities discovered the body of 20-year-old Davon Joshawn Rivera-Wright sprawled on the pavement of the parking lot. The young father of two had suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was declared dead at the scene by the Jackson County Medical Examiner.
Witnesses reported seeing a silver vehicle with tinted windows fleeing the area immediately after the shooting, as well as an unidentified male running from the scene into nearby woods.
Investigators with the Riverside Police Department and the Kansas City Metro Squad began piecing together the events that led to Rivera-Wright's death. Early leads came from the victim's mother, who told detectives she had learned that her son was with a friend known as 'Geechie' at the time of the incident. This friend was later identified as Carllee Washington. When questioned, Washington initially provided conflicting accounts to law enforcement. He first claimed a silver car had fled the scene and that he ran away after hearing shots. Later, he admitted to fleeing the scene with Rivera-Wright's Glock 23 pistol and cellular phone, which he retrieved from the victim's body before running to a relative's apartment.
The investigation eventually identified three other men involved in the encounter: Jordan Wilson, Leandre 'Dre' Boyd, and Ronald Anderson. According to court documents, the shooting stemmed from a narcotics transaction gone wrong. Anderson, who drove a 2008 Toyota Avalon to the meeting, admitted to ferrying Wilson and Boyd to the apartment complex to purchase marijuana from Rivera-Wright. A dispute reportedly arose during the exchange, with conflicting narratives suggesting a disagreement over the weight of the drugs or the price, with Boyd stating he only had $30 for a purchase the victim priced at $450.
As the confrontation escalated, gunfire erupted. Jordan Wilson, 23, was alleged to have exchanged shots with Rivera-Wright. Anderson later told investigators he found spent shell casings in his vehicle after the incident and discarded them out the window while driving on Interstate 435. In March 2017, prosecutors filed charges against all four men connected to the case. Jordan Wilson was charged with voluntary manslaughter, delivery of a controlled substance, and hindering prosecution. Leandre Boyd, Ronald Anderson, and Carllee Washington were each charged with delivery of a controlled substance and hindering prosecution for their respective roles in the events surrounding the death of Davon Joshawn Rivera-Wright.
