On January 7, 2014, a violent confrontation unfolded on a sidewalk near a Price Chopper grocery store at 5800 Wilson Road in Kansas City, Missouri, resulting in the death of 21-year-old Donald Donato. The afternoon incident began when 44-year-old Marcus T. Kennedy approached Donato’s girlfriend outside a nearby gas station. Kennedy asked the woman if she wanted to purchase 'green,' a slang term for marijuana.
She declined the offer and subsequently informed Donato about the interaction.
Intending to inspect the marijuana Kennedy was selling, Donato approached the man and asked to see the product. When Kennedy produced a bag of marijuana, Donato allegedly grabbed it and attempted to flee the scene. In response, Kennedy drew a firearm and discharged it, striking the fleeing man twice in the back. Following the shooting, Kennedy attempted to escape to a residence on the 300 block of Lawndale Avenue but was intercepted and detained by a private security guard until law enforcement arrived.
Police officers at the scene discovered Kennedy in possession of bags of marijuana and 9mm ammunition. A witness also directed investigators to a nearby yard where Kennedy had been seen discarding a 9mm handgun, which was subsequently recovered. During questioning, Kennedy admitted to police that he had fired at Donato after the younger man took his marijuana.
In the legal proceedings that followed, Jackson County prosecutors charged Marcus T. Kennedy with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. In September of that year, Kennedy pleaded guilty to both charges. A judge later sentenced him to serve twenty years in prison for his role in the fatal shooting.
