Donnie Kirkland was a 20-year-old Black man from Independence, Missouri, described by those who knew him as genuine and big-hearted. Known by nicknames like "young Kirk," he was remembered as someone who was always looking out for others and wanted the best for everyone.
On the afternoon of June 5, 2024, Donnie was working at a fast-food restaurant when an acquaintance, Antonio Catalan-Sharr, arrived at the drive-thru window in a red Jeep Liberty.
After a brief interaction, Donnie told his manager he needed to leave for 10 to 15 minutes. He got into the Jeep, and the vehicle drove to the Sugar Creek Apartments near Sundown Drive and South Claremont Avenue. According to court documents, Donnie ran into an apartment and then returned to the vehicle.
Surveillance footage from the complex captured Donnie talking with the occupants at the open driver's side door. He took a step back from the Jeep when a flash was seen projecting toward him from the car at close range. Police were called to the scene just before 1 p.m. and found Donnie lying in the road with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he died about an hour later.
Investigators tracked the red Jeep and arrested 23-year-old Antonio Catalan-Sharr on June 11 in a Northeast Kansas City, Missouri, neighborhood. A search of his vehicle uncovered documents bearing Donnie’s name and a round of ammunition that matched the bullet recovered from the shooting. At the time of his arrest, Catalan-Sharr was found with two stolen guns, though they were not the weapon used in the homicide. He admitted to police that he was at the scene to purchase a gun from Donnie but claimed he fired in self-defense after Donnie brandished a weapon. No gun was found at the scene of the shooting.
Catalan-Sharr was charged with second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon. He later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the shooting death of Donnie Kirkland Jr. and was sentenced to prison. The case was resolved as of April 2026.
