KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 20-year-old man reached a plea deal Thursday with Clay County prosecutors in connection to the March 2024 shooting that injured two people outside of North Kansas City High School.
Michael Smallwood, 20, agreed to plead guilty to two counts of second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and fourth-degree assault in connection to the shootout on March 2, 2024, following a high school basketball game inside the high school.
As part of the plea agreement, the prosecutors said they plan to ask the judge to sentence Smallwood to 19 years in prison. The agreement does allow Smallwood and his attorneys to argue for a lesser sentence.
Smallwood and his younger brother, Lavon’Dre Smallwood, were both originally charged with armed criminal action and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon in connection to the shootout.
Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said last March the shooting started after a dispute between two groups of young men who were leaving a Missouri Class 6, District 8 basketball game between Staley and North Kansas City.
KSHB 41 I-Team's Caitlin Knute obtained surveillance video of the shootout. You can watch her report in the video player below.
“I was fired at and I shot back understanding that it was reckless for me to do that in a crowd of people,” Michael Smallwood wrote in the plea agreement.
Michael Smallwood also admitted to having a gun on him in a school.
The judge in the case ordered a sentencing assessment report and set the sentencing date for May 23, 2025.
The criminal case against Lavon’Dre Smallwood remains ongoing. A pre-trial conference was held on Feb. 13, 2025. A jury trial has tentatively been scheduled for December 2025.
—
If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
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.
