On April 9, 2015, police in Kansas City, Missouri, responded to a report of shots fired in the southeast part of the city. Upon arrival near the intersection of 62nd Street and Agnes Avenue, officers discovered the lifeless body of 21-year-old male Shawndray Key inside a parked vehicle. Key, who was known to friends and family as 'T-Man' or 'Dray,' had suffered fatal gunshot wounds.
Born in Macon, Georgia, he had moved to Kansas City at the age of 13 and was a graduate of Southwest Early College Campus. At the time of his death, he was attending Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley and had aspirations in music and fashion, hoping to start his own clothing line.
Investigators eventually identified two suspects in connection with the homicide: brothers Shyreif M. Carter and Teandre Carter. According to court records, the brothers had planned to rob Key of a gun and drugs. A witness reported seeing a white Kia leaving the scene shortly after the shooting, and testimony indicated that the pair had been driven to the location on Agnes Avenue before approaching the vehicle where Key was seated. Shyreif Carter later admitted to police that the robbery attempt was the motive behind the confrontation that led to Key's death.
In June 2016, the legal proceedings against the Carter brothers concluded with convictions for both men. Shyreif Carter, who was 19 at the time of sentencing, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, attempted robbery, and two counts of armed criminal action. His older brother, Teandre Carter, 21 at the time, pleaded guilty to the same charges, along with an additional count of receiving stolen property. A judge sentenced both brothers to serve 15 years in prison for their roles in the killing.
