An Independence man has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a man at a Kansas City bus stop near his home.
Garrett N. King, 24, was charged Monday with six felonies — including first-degree murder — in the May 28 shooting of 23-year-old Xavier Townsend-Keith. His other charges include two counts of armed criminal action, as well as unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm and tampering with a motor vehicle.
Court documents indicate the shooting was targeted and that King had fired a weapon into the victim’s home at least twice before.
Kansas City police responded to the bus stop at 51st Street and Prospect Avenue around 1 p.m. on May 28, where they found a man lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds.
Townsend-Keith was brought to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries. The shooting had multiple witnesses, according to Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a Kansas City Police Department spokesperson.
Surveillance footage from near the scene of the homicide shows a white 2017 Subaru Impreza driving back and forth past the bus stop three times while Townsend-Keith sat there, according to charging documents. On the third time around, the driver can be seen shooting Townsend-Keith multiple times from the car before driving away.
Townsend-Keith had walked his girlfriend to the bus stop, which was close to his home, shortly before he was shot, his mother Rashawnda Perry-Townsend told The Star in June. He had lingered at the bus stop afterward to take advantage of the free public Wi-Fi, which Perry-Townsend said he often did.
About seven hours after the shooting, a vehicle matching the description of the Impreza was seen at E. 31st Street and Paseo Boulevard, according to court documents. Kansas City police officers pursued the vehicle but lost it on Interstate 670 while driving toward Kansas.
The gun used in the shooting was used to fire into Townsend-Keith’s house around 3 a.m. on Feb. 2, according to court documents. At 3 a.m. on May 21, shots were fired into the victim’s house again, court documents state, with the white Subaru captured on video driving by around the time of the shooting.
Townsend-Keith’s girlfriend told Kansas City police detectives that King and Townsend-Keith were previously friends, but had a falling-out after King allegedly owed Townsend-Keith money.
KC football player shot walking girlfriend to bus stop remembered as ‘gentle giant’
King was arrested in Johnson County, Kansas, on May 31 after the Subaru was found abandoned in Shawnee.
The Subaru had been stolen from King’s ex-girlfriend, according to court documents.
A warrant for King’s arrest issued Monday afternoon set his bond at $250,000. As of Monday evening, King had not been extradited back to Jackson County.
Townsend-Keith, who family and friends knew as “a gentle giant”, played semi-professional football for the Kansas City Legion. His mother and sisters said they saw him as their protector.
““He was an inspiration to be around,” KC Legion coach Joseph Day said in June. “He was always trying to make his life better.”
Townsend-Keith is the third child his mother has buried. Perry-Townsend’s son Desean Parker was fatally shot in Kansas City on New Year’s Eve 2016 at the age of 23. In 2022. Her daughter Diamond Marchbanks, 26, died in a car accident while driving back to Kansas City to celebrate her birthday.
Townsend-Keith’s death was the 60th homicide reported in Kansas City in 2024, according to data tracked by The Star.
At the same time last year, 71 homicides had been reported in the city.
Reporting from The Star’s Andrea Klick was used in this article.
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
