In the early evening hours of a Monday in Kansas City, Missouri, a young man's life was cut tragically short in the parking lot of a convenience store. DeMarkus Pleasant, a 24-year-old male, was fatally shot on June 5, 2023, following what appeared to be a heated argument. The events unfolded around 9:15 p.m. in the 4500 block of Paseo Boulevard, a scene that would soon be swarmed by police and emergency responders.
Earlier, a witness had driven Pleasant and another man, later identified
as 25-year-old Christopher Lockett, to the Paseo Fast Stop. The driver went into the store to use the ATM, leaving Pleasant and Lockett waiting in the back seat of his white sedan. When he returned to the vehicle, he found the two engaged in a tense argument. The situation escalated rapidly when Lockett allegedly exited the car and opened fire, shooting Pleasant multiple times as he sat in the back seat.
The aftermath was captured by nearby surveillance cameras. The footage showed a man firing a gun into a parked Nissan Altima. In a grim turn of events, the shooter was then seen dragging Pleasant's body from the back seat out through the driver's side door, leaving him on the pavement of the parking lot. After removing the victim, the gunman got into the car and fled the scene. When police officers arrived, they found Pleasant suffering from gunshot wounds. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the location.
The investigation quickly led authorities to Christopher Lockett of Blue Springs. A search warrant was executed at his home, where he was taken into custody. Lockett declined to speak with detectives without legal counsel present. Subsequently, the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office charged him with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action, and stealing a motor vehicle. He was held in the Jackson County jail on a $250,000 bond.
