On the evening of August 19, 2016, police in Kansas City, Missouri, were summoned to a residence in the 5700 block of Manchester Avenue following reports of gunfire. Upon arriving at the scene shortly before 9:00 p.m., officers entered the home to discover a male victim, identified as 31-year-old Keenon A. Durham, suffering from fatal gunshot wounds.
Emergency responders declared him dead at the scene, marking a violent end to the night in the local community.
Investigators determined that the shooting occurred when a gunman fired multiple rounds into the dwelling from the outside. The attack was particularly brazen as the shots were directed into a bedroom where a child was present at the time, although the youth was not physically harmed by the gunfire. Witnesses in the area reported seeing a man running from the residence immediately after the shots rang out. One witness also recounted seeing the same individual driving by the home earlier in the day, suggesting the attack may have been premeditated.
In early September 2016, authorities announced that charges had been filed in connection with the homicide. The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office charged Victor R. Nevels, a 29-year-old Kansas City resident, with second-degree murder for Durham's death. In addition to the murder charge, Nevels faced counts of unlawful use of a weapon, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and two counts of armed criminal action. Prosecutors requested a bond of $400,000 as the legal proceedings commenced against the accused.
