Jackson County prosecutors have charged two Kansas City men, identified in court documents as brothers, with murder in a double shooting that unfolded early Friday in the city's Oak Park Northwest neighborhood.
Lavert R. Bowman, 45, and Lamonte D. Bowman, 49, are accused of killing 31-year-old Mark Young in a residence in the 3400 block of Chestnut Avenue. Each is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action.
According to court documents, the shooting took place during a fight between Young and the two brothers that allegedly started over Young hitting his girlfriend, a relative of the Bowmans. She was also shot in the arm, and described to investigators her attempt to shield her boyfriend from gunfire.
Witness statements and evidence at the scene led Kansas City detectives to conclude the Bowmans were fighting with Young, shot him and then drove to Research Medical Center for treatment of their own injuries.
Kansas City police officers were first dispatched to a report of the shooting around 12:30 a.m. In the living room, responding officers found a female with a gunshot wound to her arm. A second gunshot victim, later identified as Young, had several gunshot wounds to his back and head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ten shell casings from a 9mm were found in the living room area. An empty handgun was on the floor, near Young's body, along with an object described in court documents as an "iron," possibly a clothing iron. An apparent blood trail was observed by officers going between the street and the house.
As police officers were still on scene, they were notified about two men who had shown up at Research, 2316 Meyer Boulevard, and reported hearing gunfire in the area of 35th Street and Prospect Avenue - a few blocks away from where the shooting took place.
Officers arrived at the hospital and were directed to the Bowmans, who authorities say arrived in a red Ford Focus that had apparent blood inside. Both men had injuries consistent with being involved in a fight, according to court documents.
Also hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the arm, after being taken from the shooting scene by ambulance, was the woman who identified herself to police as Young's girlfriend. She told police of an argument involving her uncles and Young, according to court documents, that began with her being slapped earlier that night by Young.
Detectives interviewed the Bowman brothers at KCPD Headquarters.
Lamonte Bowman, the older of the two, allegedly told police he and his brother were involved in a fight during which he himself fired a single shot to the ground. He also described ditching a gun belonging to his brother in a sewer off Prospect Avenue as they were driving toward Research, which is roughly 30 blocks south of where the shooting unfolded.
Detectives noted the discovery of a firearm in the opening of a sewer drain near 61st Street and Prospect Avenue. The gun had apparent blood on it, a Kansas City detective wrote in affidavits supporting criminal charges against the Bowmans.
Lavert Bowman, the younger, allegedly denied having a firearm. He told detectives he only recalled being in a fight, being hit, and his brother telling him they needed to go to the hospital.
Both Bowmans made initial appearances Monday in Jackson County Circuit Court.
Each was being held in the Jackson County jail as of Tuesday on a $250,000, 10% secured bond. Neither was being represented by a defense attorney as of Tuesday, according to court documents.
