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Man charged in Northland shooting that killed woman, injured man

Posted at 5:28 AM, Jan 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-22 12:31:11-05

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A man has been charged in connection with a deadly Northland shooting. 

Thomas Farris, 38, is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, first-degree assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm. 

On Jan. 17, police were called to the 3800 block of N Kensington Avenue on a shooting. When officers arrived, they found a man with a gunshot injury to his face. He was taken to an area hospital and is in critical condition. 

According to a probable cause statement, neighbors told police the man was knocking on doors asking for help. He wasn’t able to talk because of his injury. 

Officers found a woman shot to death in the home. She was later identified as Rhonda Evans, 46. 

Court documents say police found six shell casings, all with a head stamp of Federal .45 Auto, in the home near the woman's body. 

The probable cause statement said on Jan. 18 Farris sold a gun to someone for $300. At the time of the sale, a magazine was in the gun as well as a live round. The headstamp on the live round was consistent with the headstamp on the shell casing found at the homicide scene.

The gun was turned over to police after it was bought, according to court documents. 

On Jan. 18, Farris was arrested in Independence, Missouri on an outstanding warrant and taken to the Jackson County Jail. 

When Farris was taken into custody, he had four $100 bills. Court documents say three of the bills were the same bills used to purchase the gun from Ferris. 

On Jan. 19, investigators compared the gun sold by Farris to the shell casings found at the homicide scene. A forensic firearms examiner determined the .45 auto cartridges recovered at the homicide scene were fired from the gun Farris sold. 

The probable cause statement said during a police interview Farris admitted he was at the homicide scene at the time of the homicide. He denied having a weapon.  

The Clay County Prosecutor’s Office said bond is set at $1 million. 

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