Kansas City high schooler charged with shooting, injuring classmate

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City, Missouri, high schooler is charged with shooting and injuring a classmate earlier this month, per court documents.

Kenneth Russell, 18, is charged with unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.

The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 near East 63rd Street and Swope Parkway.

Russell allegedly shot at a vehicle as it was leaving a nearby school.

A KCPD officer working as an SRO at the school heard the gunshots and was told by witnesses that the suspect was “RTB,” which the officer recognized as a nickname for Russell. The witnesses said they saw him shoot a Draco firearm.

Since Russell attends the school, the SRO was able to find his address. Officers responded to the home and took him into custody without incident. Court documents noted he was wearing different clothes than what witnesses had said he was wearing.

When arrested, court documents noted the residence was the only one in the area with a white screen door, which another witness had identified as the home where she saw someone exit with a Draco-style firearm, run up the street and then go back inside.

Additionally, a witness in the car that was shot at said the suspect had a neck tattoo, and Russell has a neck tattoo.

During a search of the home, officers found an AR-15 rifle inside the dishwasher, an empty rifle magazine in the kitchen, a plastic bag of 21 live rounds on the couch, and the clothing Russell was observed to be wearing at the time of the crime.

At the scene, officers recovered nine spent rifle casings.

The victim, a minor, told officers that his sister picked him up from school along with two other friends. As they were pulling out of the parking lot, they heard gunshots.

The sister then drove to the nearest hospital, where the victim was treated for a gunshot wound to the upper right shoulder area.

While in police custody, Russell told detectives he was smoking at his sister’s house with some friends before school. After school, he said he went home to sleep and woke up to police outside his home. He claimed he did not know why he was arrested, and he said he did not own a firearm.

Russell denied shooting at the victim as well, claiming he did not know the victim but had heard of him. He also said he did not have issues with anyone at school.

According to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, Russell was invited to a SAVE KC call-in, but he did not attend.

He is being held in the Jackson County Detention Center on a $75,000 (10%) bond.

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