On a late afternoon in May of 2020, the life of 19-year-old Jahbreel Rounds, a Black/African American male, was irrevocably altered in the parking lot of a Wichita, Kansas apartment complex. The promising Northwestern College freshman safety found himself in a situation that would ultimately turn fatal. Rounds, along with 21-year-old Earnest Jefferson, had arranged to meet two individuals for a marijuana transaction on May 21.
The meeting, which took place around 5:00 p.m.
near 13th and West, was with 18-year-old Preston Reynolds and his 20-year-old girlfriend, Missy Barber. At some point during the encounter, a disturbance broke out while they were all inside a vehicle. The disagreement escalated with tragic speed as shots were fired. In the ensuing chaos, both Rounds and Jefferson were struck by gunfire multiple times.
When police responded to the scene, they found Jefferson had succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. Rounds was discovered in the parking lot with gunshot wounds to his legs and abdomen. He was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. Despite medical efforts, Jahbreel Rounds died from his injuries four days later. Reynolds also sustained a gunshot wound to his leg during the incident.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Reynolds and Barber fled the scene. However, their escape was short-lived. Investigators were able to identify their involvement, and they were subsequently arrested. Reynolds was located when he sought treatment for his leg wound at a hospital and was taken into custody after being released. Barber was found and arrested at an apartment complex on South Glenn.
Both Preston Reynolds and Missy Barber were initially charged with two counts of first-degree felony murder and one count of marijuana distribution. In a later development, Reynolds pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter and one count of attempted distribution of a controlled substance. For his role in the deaths of Jahbreel Rounds and Earnest Jefferson, he was sentenced to nine years in prison. Barber was also scheduled for sentencing on charges of voluntary manslaughter and attempted distribution of a controlled substance.
