On the evening of August 18, 2016, 19-year-old male Davyon S. Coates was involved in a fatal incident in the parking lot of a Church’s Chicken restaurant located at the intersection of Gregory Boulevard and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. Authorities later determined that the meeting was arranged for the purpose of a narcotics transaction. Darrell K. Roberson Jr. and Roselynn S.
Kuntz had driven to the location in a Chevrolet Uplander van with their two young children, aged two and three, reportedly because they were unable to secure a babysitter. The couple intended to sell a large quantity of marijuana to Coates, who entered their vehicle upon his arrival.
According to statements provided to investigators, the transaction quickly turned violent when Coates brandished a firearm and demanded money from the couple. Roberson, who had moved to the rear seat to allow Coates to sit in the front passenger seat, told police he lunged forward to suppress the weapon. A struggle for control of the gun ensued between the two men. During the altercation, Roberson sustained a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Amid the chaos, the couple's two-year-old daughter was struck by a bullet in the head, suffering critical injuries. Kuntz alleged that during the fight, Roberson dropped his handgun, which she then retrieved and used to shoot Coates.
Coates was pronounced dead at the scene from his injuries. Law enforcement officers recovered three firearms and a significant amount of marijuana from the van and the surrounding area. Following the shooting, Jackson County prosecutors charged Roberson and Kuntz with child abuse and two counts of first-degree child endangerment for allegedly firing weapons in the proximity of their children. The couple was arraigned shortly after the incident, where pleas of not guilty were entered on their behalf. The investigation revealed that the presence of the children in the midst of an armed drug deal was the primary basis for the immediate criminal charges filed against the surviving adults.
