KANSAS CITY — Two SAVE Kansas City clients face charges in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred near Swope Parkway in 2023.
SirMichael Harbin, 19, and Montell Essex-Benjamin, 21, each face one count of 2nd Degree Murder and one count of Armed Criminal Action, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.
According to court records, Kansas City police responded to a residence on November 13, 2023, regarding a shooting. Officers located the victim lying in the front yard. He was declared deceased at an area hospital.
Detectives reviewed surveillance footage of the incident and observed the victim standing in the front yard of the residence. A red Dodge Charger was seen driving toward the intersection near the residence. Suspects fired multiple rounds from the Charger at the residence and the victim. The Charger then fled the scene.
Later that day, officers located the Charger in a parking lot with two men standing near it, one of them Essex-Benjamin. When officers attempted to make contact, both men ran, which initiated a foot pursuit. Both men were eventually taken into custody. Detectives discovered the Charger had been stolen.
Detectives were able to connect Essex-Benjamin to the crime through cell phone data placing him in the area of the crime at the same time it happened, and gunshot residue was found on his hands. Detectives also found Harbin’s DNA inside the Charger and on a 9mm casing located at the scene of the crime. Both defendants are being held without bond.
The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office and the Kansas City (MO) Police Department initiated a collaboration called SAVE KC focusing on reducing shootings and homicides in the community.