UPDATE, April 16 | The 12-year-old victim was identified as Brian Henderson, Jr. of Kansas City, Missouri.
ORIGINAL STORY, April 15 | A 25-year-old Leavenworth man and a 17-year-old from Kansas City, Kansas, were charged with murder Thursday in the death of an 12-year-old boy, who was shot and killed Wednesday evening in Leavenworth.
The charges stem from a deadly shooting that happened around 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday outside of Kare Pharmacy, 2500 S. 4th St., according to the Leavenworth Police Department.
Darvon Thomas, 25, of Leavenworth was charged Thursday with first-degree murder. A 17-year-old also was charged with felony murder and discharge of a firearm into an occupied vehicle.
"They were there for a reason," Leavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens said. "We haven’t talked about why specifically yet. We still want to clear up some of the details. But, no, it was not random in terms of the meeting. The 12-year-old boy appears to be an innocent victim, however, and didn’t appear to be the target."
The teenage suspect's name is being withheld, though it is possible the 17-year-old will be charged as a adult in the future.
"We can do what’s called a waiver, or charging them as an adult," Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said. "But in doing so, we have to file the juvenile case first, file a motion showing this is a type of case that falls within the criteria that would necessitate that the person be viewed an adult."
Police determined several shots were fired at a black Volkswagen Jetta by a suspect in the parking lot. The Jetta left the area and the suspected shooters left the area in a white Dodge Charger.
One bullet also struck a red four-door sedan traveling north on 4th Street. That vehicle was being driven by a woman with her 6-month-old daughter as a passenger, but police did not report any injuries in that vehicle.
Kansas City, Missouri, police later contacted Leavenworth police after a black Volkswagen Jetta arrived at Children's Mercy Hospital with a 12-year-old shooting victim, who was then pronounced deceased.
Detectives in Leavenworth then located the suspect vehicle in the 200 block of South 12th Street in Leavenworth and took three suspects — a 25-year-old from Leavenworth and a 17-year-old and 15-year-old from KCK— into custody.
The 15-year-old taken into custody does not currently face any charges.
"It’s an ongoing investigation," Thompson said via email. "At this time, he does not have charges."
Officers are still unsure what led to the shooting.
While a couple of the suspects are teenagers, the 17-year-old could be charged later as an adult.
The pharmacy said in a post on Facebook that those involved in the shooting "were not customers of ours, nor did they shop at this location," calling the location of the "tragic event that transpired in our small town last night ... mere coincidence that this transpired near Kare."
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families," Kare Pharmacy said.
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