KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A former Center High School security officer remains in jail after being charged with second-degree murder.
Following an argument at a smoke shop in Westport, Marquis Ponder is accused of shooting and killing 30-year-old Levon Quinn.
Ponder is being held in the Jackson County Detention Center on a $500,000 bond. Ponder is also charged with two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
KSHB 41 has been looking into Ponder's background. He was a security officer for two years with Center School District with no record of disciplinary issues.
Ponder also didn't have a criminal history.
Starting this week, Ponder would have been working at summer school for the district.
He is no longer a district employee.
However, one day before the shooting, his employment was extended through the next school year.
KSHB 41's Megan Abundis filed an open records request for disciplinary records, hiring standards, security protocols, training requirements and incident reports involving security personnel.
There weren't any incident reports found involving security personnel. For safety reasons, much of the security protocol and training records were redacted.
Court records and witness accounts detail Ponder as the aggressor in the shooting.
He was wearing his school security uniform during the shooting, which led to quick identification by law enforcement.
While the crime happened off school property, based on Center School District training and policies sent to KSHB 41, Ponder had training for de-escalation and non-violent communication.
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KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Prairie Village and Leawood. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
