On November 28, 2016, a violent disturbance erupted at a residence in the 1000 block of North Independence Street in Harrisonville, Missouri, claiming the life of 42-year-old Tammy Lynn Christiansen. Police were dispatched to the home where they discovered Christiansen unresponsive on the floor, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound to her forehead.
Inside the same residence, authorities also encountered a surviving victim, Sylvester Harbour, who had been shot in the back during the chaotic altercation.
The investigation revealed that the incident began when an intruder, identified as Brian G. Parks, entered the home that morning. Harbour reportedly woke to find Parks standing over him brandishing a revolver. A struggle ensued between the two men, moving from the interior of the house to the outdoors, during which Harbour was wounded. A witness driving nearby spotted the fight and attempted to intervene, but the assailant fled the scene in his vehicle. Before the shooter escaped, Harbour identified him to the witness as the man who had just shot the woman inside the house.
Law enforcement officers quickly located and apprehended Parks, who was 54 years old at the time. A search of his truck yielded a shotgun with spent slugs and a handgun with empty cylinder slots, and officers noted the smell of gunpowder. Parks was observed to have blood on his clothing and was determined to be under the influence of methamphetamine. Further inquiries uncovered that Parks and Christiansen had previously been in a dating relationship and had been arguing over the phone in the weeks leading up to the shooting.
In September 2018, nearly two years after the murder, Brian G. Parks faced a jury in Cass County Circuit Court. Following a three-day trial, he was found guilty on all counts, including first-degree murder, first-degree assault, unlawful possession of a firearm, and two counts of armed criminal action. His convictions were later affirmed by the Missouri Court of Appeals.
