On the afternoon of June 19, 2023, the life of Marquis Delvon Kindred, a 20-year-old African American male, was tragically cut short at a residence in the 1900 block of Mersington Court in Kansas City, Missouri. Known for his background as a former high school athlete and a United States Postal Service employee, Marquis was at the home when he received a visit from his cousin, Mekhi D. Curry.
Curry arrived at the location in a silver sedan, specifically identified in reports as a Chevy Malibu, which was being driven by an associate.
The interaction between the cousins quickly turned hostile after Curry expressed interest in obtaining a firearm that belonged to Marquis. When Marquis refused to trade or hand over the weapon, Curry allegedly seized the gun and attempted to flee the scene. Marquis chased after him, leading to a physical struggle over the weapon in the front yard of the residence. As the two men scuffled, the driver of the silver sedan exited the vehicle and discharged a firearm. The gunfire struck Marquis, inflicting fatal injuries, and also wounded a second individual present at the scene. Following the shooting, Curry and the gunman retreated to the vehicle and fled the area.
Police officers dispatched to the scene found Marquis and the second victim suffering from gunshot wounds. Both were transported to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment, but Marquis was pronounced deceased shortly after his arrival. The second victim survived the injuries. Investigators utilized surveillance footage from the neighborhood, which captured the struggle and the subsequent shooting, to identify the individuals involved. Witness statements further corroborated the sequence of events, identifying Curry as the individual who instigated the confrontation by taking the firearm.
Mekhi Curry, who was 18 years old at the time, was taken into custody on July 16, 2023, initially regarding an unrelated incident. Prosecutors subsequently charged him with second-degree murder and stealing a firearm. Under Missouri law, the murder charge was filed under the felony murder doctrine, alleging that Curry committed a felony theft which directly resulted in Marquis's death, even though the fatal shot was fired by the associate. As of the initial reports, the suspected shooter who arrived with Curry had been identified by witnesses but was not immediately named in the public charging documents.
