In the late afternoon of July 13, 2023, a confrontation in a Kansas City, Missouri, parking lot turned fatal, ending the life of 47-year-old Juan Zollar. The incident unfolded around 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot of an Office Depot in the city's Midtown area. Zollar, a male, was a passenger in a black SUV driven by a woman. According to witness statements, Zollar instructed the driver to pull up to a group of people in the parking lot.
He then exited the vehicle and reportedly shouted, 'I got something for you,' while reaching for a sheathed knife.
The woman accompanying Zollar warned him that someone in the group had a gun, prompting him to get back into the SUV. As he was re-entering the vehicle and closing the door, multiple gunshots were fired. Zollar was struck by the gunfire. The woman immediately drove away from the scene, eventually flagging down police officers near East 31st Street and Troost Avenue for help. Zollar was transported to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival. The black SUV was later found to have two apparent bullet holes in its windshield.
An investigation by the Kansas City Police Department led them to the shooting scene at the Office Depot on 42nd and Main streets, a location corroborated by other 911 calls. Surveillance footage from nearby businesses, including a Starbucks and a building owned by The Kansas City Art Institute, showed the suspect and others in the area at the time of the shooting. Investigators also found shell casings in an area adjacent to the parking lot. The investigation identified 38-year-old Dynell R. Jones as the suspected shooter.
During a police interview on July 20, Jones allegedly admitted to shooting at Zollar. He claimed that he and his friends, including his girlfriend, were in the parking lot when Zollar's SUV pulled up in what he perceived as a threatening manner. Jones stated that he fired a friend's gun in Zollar's direction, but claimed his intention was only to scare him away because he feared Zollar was going to harm his girlfriend and the others in his group. Following the investigation, the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office charged Dynell R. Jones with second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was taken into custody and held on a $250,000 cash bond. Jones was scheduled for a bond review hearing on August 21, 2023, and made his initial appearance in Jackson County Circuit Court.
