Jentre Demarkus Parker-White, a 37-year-old Black male, died on November 22, 2024, following a shooting in Merriam, Kansas. The events leading to his death began to unfold around 8:15 a.m. when Merriam police received simultaneous reports of a two-car crash at Johnson Drive and Slater Street and shots fired at a construction site on Shawnee Mission Parkway near Eby Avenue. Responding officers discovered Parker-White at the scene of the crash with gunshot wounds.
He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators determined that Parker-White had allegedly been shot by Larry Gunzenhauser at the construction site before being involved in the vehicle collision. The Merriam Police Department stated that all individuals believed to be involved in the incident were located and taken into custody on the same day as the shooting, assuring the public that there was no ongoing threat.
In January 2025, the Johnson County District Attorney's Office charged 32-year-old Larry Gunzenhauser of Kansas City, Kansas, with second-degree murder in connection with Parker-White's death. Gunzenhauser was arrested and is being held on a $500,000 bond.
Jentre DeMarkus Parker-White was remembered by loved ones as a funny, protective, and hardworking family man. An obituary described him as a deeply involved father who enjoyed fishing, hosting barbecues, and spending time with the children in his life. Having grown up in Wyandotte County, he worked as a forklift operator for the Coca-Cola Company for several years.
