On a warm August evening in 2019, the life of 17-year-old Jo’shawn Garrett, a Black / African American male, was tragically cut short in a burst of gunfire on the streets of Kansas City, Kansas. It was just before 10 p.m. on August 13th when Jo'shawn was riding in the backseat of a Nissan sedan, traveling eastbound on Parallel Avenue. Suddenly, a white Dodge Charger pulled alongside their vehicle, and its occupants unleashed a hail of bullets into the car.
The driver of the Nissan sped up, attempting to evade the assault, but it was too late. Jo’shawn was struck twice in the head, and another passenger was seriously injured.
The driver and front-seat passenger, who were largely unharmed, recounted the terrifying moments to investigators. Police who arrived at the scene in the 1900 block of North 15th Street found the Nissan riddled with bullet holes. Inside, Jo'shawn was gravely wounded. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but his injuries were too severe, and he died the following day. Residents in the area later recalled hearing multiple bursts of rapid gunfire, a chilling soundtrack to the final moments of a young life. The violence left a family heartbroken and a community searching for answers, with Jo'shawn's mother pleading for justice for her son.
The investigation into Jo'shawn’s murder quickly gained momentum. By the morning of August 14th, a Violent Crime Task Force officer identified the owner of the white Dodge Charger as 20-year-old Tobias Womack. Investigators meticulously reviewed surveillance footage from the area, which showed the Charger waiting at a gas station before pursuing the Nissan. Further footage from another gas station captured Womack and another man, 22-year-old Demetri Irvin, at approximately 10:14 p.m., shortly after the shooting. This crucial evidence led to their swift arrest on the evening of August 14th at another gas station. A third suspect, Dai'leon Kaine Henderson, was also identified and charged.
The Wyandotte County District Attorney's Office filed a series of charges against Demetri Denzi Irvin, Dai'leon Kaine Henderson, and Tobias Jebrel Womack. These charges included first-degree murder, aggravated battery, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle. Irvin faced an additional charge of criminal possession of a firearm. As the case progressed, both Demetri Irvin and Tobias Womack eventually pleaded guilty to intentional second-degree murder and criminal discharge of a weapon at an occupied vehicle.
