On the evening of June 23, 2023, a violent altercation at a downtown Kansas City, Missouri, gas station resulted in the death of Cyree Cook. Responding to reports of a shooting at 10th and Locust streets, police discovered Cook in the parking lot with gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses provided a description of the suspected shooter, which led an officer to a man at a bus stop near 12th Street and Grand Boulevard. The man, identified as 30-year-old Ryan R.
Jackson, a Black male, fled on foot when approached by the officer. During the chase, Jackson reportedly lost his shoes and threw a bag over a fence. After he was apprehended, officers recovered the bag, which contained a Glock handgun. Both the shoes and the firearm later tested positive for the presence of human blood.
Surveillance video of the incident allegedly shows a man, identified as Jackson, pulling a handgun from his waistband and wrestling with Cook. After Cook was on the ground, another person was seen kicking him, followed by two muzzle flashes. During a police interview, Jackson denied having been at the gas station and claimed he was under the influence of narcotics.
Prosecutors charged Ryan R. Jackson with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of Cyree Cook. At the time of this incident, Jackson also had an active arrest warrant that had been issued the previous day for charges of animal abuse and first-degree property damage from an October 2022 event where he was accused of killing his roommate's bulldog. He was held in the Jackson County jail without bond.
