KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The three suspects involved in a shootout with Kansas City, Kansas, police Wednesday afternoon have officially been charged by the District Court of Wyandotte County.
Cornell Lance Jones Jr., Samarion Ardel England and Jaeveon Mitchell-Locke face charges of:
- Attempted capital murder of a law enforcement officer/attempted capital murder of more than one person
- Three counts of aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer
- Three counts of criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied building
- Three counts of aggravated endangering a child
- Aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer
- Distribution of or possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute
The child-endangerment charges relate to bystanders in the convenience store near the parking lot where the shootout occurred.
Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree said in a media briefing Thursday there were four adults and three juveniles inside the store, located in the 1800 block of Wood Avenue.
While no one inside the store was injured, bullets fired during the exchange struck the outside of the building, per Dupree.
KCKPD Chief Karl Oakman was present at the media briefing as well. He updated the public that the five officers injured in the undercover fentanyl bust are on the mend.
Two officers were released Wednesday night and one officer remains hospitalized Thursday.
“Two other officers received injuries as a result of the shooting yesterday,” Oakman said. “They both were treated this morning for scrap metal.”
All five officers were part of the same tactical team. A sixth officer from the unit was present for the incident but was not injured.
“We thank God that all of them are still alive and well today,” Dupree said.
The undercover bust was initiated Wednesday after officers made contact with the dealers earlier in the week.
But when the deal failed and additional officers attempted to take the suspects into custody, gunfire erupted.
“This office has worked diligently with the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department for the last few years to try to charge individuals who dare to sell fentanyl in our community,” Dupree said. “There’s been 128 cases in this office since 2020, specifically concerning fentanyl — 26 cases charged this year alone, four cases that have led to the death of someone that this office charged concerning fentanyl.”
Oakman compared the violent manner in which fentanyl dealers operate to past substance-abuse epidemics.
“The violence is similar to what we were seeing when we were dealing with the crack-cocaine dealers (three decades ago),” Oakman said.
To combat the crisis, Oakman said KCKPD has a "detailed plan," which he claimed has helped decrease the number of shootings and homicides during the last two years.
Dupree reports there were 109 drug overdoses, 54 involving fentanyl, in 2021. But in 2022, there were 172 overdoses, 132 involving fentanyl, 40 of which were fatal. Twenty instances involved juveniles.
As of April 6, Dupree says 2023 has seen 38 overdoses, 31 related to fentanyl. Five have been fatal and six have involved juveniles.
He called on the community Thursday to continue fighting the issue head-on to reduce the "unfathomable rate" at which he believes fentanyl dealers are killing community members.
Further charges could be added at a later time against shootout suspects Cornell Lance Jones Jr., Samarion Ardel England and Jaeveon Mitchell-Locke, per Dupree.
Oakman said it is possible more individuals could be charged in connection with the fentanyl distribution ring as well.
—
For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.
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.
