Four now charged in Feb. 29 active shooter incident in Westport

Four people now have been charged after an active shooting incident in the Westport entertainment district that killed 17-year-old Devon Harris on Feb. 29 and injured four others.

Lavont Carter, 18, and Christien Woody, 20, were both charged April 2 with second-degree murder and other charges. Devon Carter, 25, and Ernest Jones, 23, both were previously charged with armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon in the incident.

Working with federal partners, KCPD detectives were able to identify Lavont Carter and Christien Woody through extensive review of surveillance video. The video showed them firing guns out of a white SUV.

The altercation began inside one of the clubs a little before 1:30 a.m. Feb. 29. A group of men involved in the disagreement left the club. Some – Lavont Carter and Christien Woody – got into a white SUV in the Westport parking garage, drove out of the garage and started shooting from the vehicle at the people involved in their earlier dispute. Two cars followed the SUV, and the occupants of those cars – Devon Carter and Ernest Jones – also were shooting. Five people were struck, one of whom died. A KCPD officer saw the shooting. Multiple KCPD and Westport Security officers moved in to stop the shooters. A responding officer located an SUV matching the description with bullet holes at 39th and Main and subsequently took one  person into custody that night. Follow-up investigation by the KCPD and FBI resulted in identifying and arresting the other shooters.

KCPD members feel this investigation was a great example of the partnership the department shares with federal law enforcement and how that partnership works to make Kansas City safer by removing dangerous individuals from the streets.  More information on this case is available from the Jackson County Prosecutor.