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Court documents: $600 drug deal turns to shooting outside Lenexa McDonald's restaurant

Crime Scene
Posted at 10:52 AM, Jan 30, 2024
and last updated 2024-01-30 11:52:30-05

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Court documents released Tuesday reveal details surrounding a suspected drug deal that turned to a fatal shooting at a Lenexa McDonald's restaurant earlier this month.

The Lenexa Police Department responded to an armed disturbance around 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13 at the McDonald's restaurant at 13330 West 87th Street Parkway.

Lenexa police arrived to the scene and located a gold Honda Odyssey with shell casings in and around the vehicle and a bullet hole in the rear passenger window.

Officers found the body of 21-year-old Markese D. Gleghorn inside the vehicle. Police attempted life-saving measures on Gleghorn but he was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Minutes after officers were dispatched to the crime scene, 24-year-old Dmariea Avance called police from his father's apartment, saying he shot someone in self defense, per police.

Court documents reveal that investigators found the van was registered to Avance's father.

Police arrived to the apartment and met Avance and his father outside. The father told officers that the firearm used in the shooting was in his bathroom. Officers later recovered the weapon from the home, according to an affidavit.

Lenexa police took Avance into custody.

Avance is charged in Johnson County District Court with first degree murder, criminal discharge of a firearm and attempted distribution of marijuana in connection to the shooting.

Avance's father allegedly told investigators that his son arrived home and told him "Dad I didn't mean to kill that guy," that he did not want the other man to kill him and that he needed to call police.

Investigators also spoke with a witness who said she had purchased marijuana from Avance and that she shared Avance and Gleghorn's contact information with each other after Gleghorn vocalized wanting to purchase marijuana from Avance.

Text messages revealed that Gleghorn planned to meet Avance to purchase a quarter of a pound of marijuana for $600 inside his van outside the McDonald's location, according to the affidavit.

Gleghorn also went to Avance's apartment earlier that day with another individual, but did not leave the car, per court documents.

Security footage from McDonald's showed that Gleghorn arrived to the location at 6:09 p.m. on Jan. 13. The Honda Odyssey parked outside the restaurant 10 minutes later and Gleghorn walked to the van, which was not in view of the security camera.

Just over one minute later, an individual in a gray hooded sweatshirt was seen on security footage exiting the vehicle and running eastbound.

If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.

Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.