Two teens were charged Friday in Jackson County family court with second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Shaun Brady, a well-known Kansas City chef, earlier this week.
The first male minor, whose name, as in all juvenile proceedings, is not public, was also charged with attempted theft of a motor vehicle and armed criminal action. The first two charges are felonies and the third is an unclassified offense, according to Jackson County Court spokesman Scott Lauck.
The second male minor faces the additional charge of attempted stealing, a felony.
Lauck said both suspects are currently in detention.
Brady, a married 44-year-old father of two, was killed Wednesday just after 5 p.m. outside his Brookside restaurant, Brady & Fox, at 63rd Street and Rockhill Road.
A popular local chef, Brady was one of the organizers of the annual Irish Fest, held on Labor Day weekend. Festival organizers have changed some weekend plans in reaction to the community’s grief and established a GoFundMe as a memorial. By midday Friday, nearly $72,000 of the $100,000 goal had been raised.
“His extraordinary culinary gifts and easy Irish charm made his table the favorite gathering place of Kansas City’s Irish community,” the GoFundMe post reads. “He will be sorely missed.”
Two male juveniles were arrested by police just an hour after the shooting in Midtown. The stolen vehicle was found nearby, Kansas City Police said.
The first teen charged Friday had a detention hearing, and will face a hearing where a judge will determine if he will be tried as an adult. His next court appearance is September 25, Lauck said.
Information on the court appearance for the second teen has yet to be released.
Teenagers have been charged with several high-profile incidents of gun violence in Kansas City this year. In February, three juveniles were charged in the shootings that killed one and injured 24 people at the Chiefs Super Bowl parade.
Mayor Quinton Lucas said Thursday that police should step up enforcement and deployment in response to car thefts and break-ins, but that the community should also investigate why kids are engaging in such behavior. The separate system of criminal justice is also a challenge, he said.
“We need to make sure where you are committing severe offenses, there are likely severe consequences, even where the standard is the best interest of the child,” he said. “I think it is important for us to make sure that that child, that teenager, that minor is not reoffending, is not putting themselves in further risk later, and is certainly not putting the rest of the community at further risk.”
Kansas City is the only major U.S. city that does not have local control of its police department. Rather than reporting to elected Kansas City officials, the KCPD answers to a state-controlled Board of Police Commissioners, all but one member of which is appointed by Missouri's governor.
