KANSAS CITY, MO — A 19-year-old Missouri man faces second-degree murder charges after allegedly using an automatic rifle to kill his sister’s ex-boyfriend in a March 10 shooting that left the victim dead as he shielded his mother from gunfire.
Ke’Montae Phillips was charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of his sister’s former boyfriend, whose age has not been released by authorities. The shooting occurred near 55th Street and Chestnut Avenue by Highway 71, where the victim was walking with his mother when Phillips allegedly opened fire with a rifle equipped with a red laser sight, according to court documents filed by the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
The deadly confrontation stemmed from ongoing tensions after the victim ended his relationship with Phillips’ sister, according to a probable cause affidavit. About a week before the shooting, Phillips had confronted the victim while he walked with his mother, making statements about the relationship “going sour” with his sister. On the day of the shooting, the victim appeared scared and told his mother “they are following me,” though she told police she “could not get a cohesive story regarding what he meant.” The victim was carrying a rifle tucked into his pants when Phillips approached on foot and asked “you clutching?” before producing his weapon and opening fire.
Police recovered at least 35 shell casings from the scene and obtained surveillance footage from city cameras and dashcams that captured the shooting and events leading up to it. The footage showed a sedan circling the area where the shooting occurred and appearing to follow the victim and his mother as they walked. Automated license plate readers were used to track the vehicle, which Phillips was allegedly seen getting out of and into during the incident. The victim’s mother performed CPR on her son while neighbors came outside to watch and assist, but he died from his gunshot wounds sustained while shielding her from the automatic weapon fire.
After his arrest, Phillips denied involvement in the shooting when shown photographs and video screenshots of himself captured on surveillance cameras. He told investigators the person in the images “looked like his twin,” according to the affidavit. When detectives showed him a picture of the victim, Phillips stated “that’s the guy that got murdered” before officers had told him the person was the victim in the case. The evidence against Phillips includes multiple surveillance videos from different sources that allegedly show him at the scene and the sedan he used to follow the victim and his mother before the attack.
Phillips was being held over the weekend on a $250,000 cash-only bond at the Jackson County Jail. A bond review hearing was scheduled for Wednesday following his initial court appearance. The case highlights ongoing concerns about gun violence in Kansas City, where police have investigated numerous shootings this year involving young suspects and automatic weapons. The victim’s identity has not been released pending notification of additional family members, and police continue investigating whether others were involved in planning or carrying out the attack.
Phillips is scheduled to appear in court on April 15 for his preliminary hearing, where prosecutors will present evidence to determine if there is probable cause to proceed to trial. If convicted of second-degree murder, he faces 10 to 30 years in prison, while the armed criminal action charge carries an additional three to 15 years. The case remains under investigation by Kansas City police and the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
