Kansas City man accused of killing cousin with AR-15 during Independence card game
A Kansas City man facing a murder charge in Jackson County Circuit Court is accused of killing his cousin with an AR-15 in an Independence apartment on Saturday in an abrupt act of violence that witnesses say arose during a card game.
Jordan D. Huff, 23, is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the killing of 25-year-old James P. Robertson, identified in court records as his cousin. Prosecutors have requested Huff be held in the Jackson County jail without bond.
According to court records, Independence police officers were dispatched at 9:32 p.m. Saturday to an apartment in the 3900 block of Redwood Drive for a reported shooting. A 911 caller told the dispatcher the gunshot victim did not have a pulse.
Preliminary findings from the medical examiner’s office would later show that Robertson was shot in the arm, back and chest.
Officers arrived as a resident of the apartment reported her brother had been shot, and that three young children — ages 1, 3 and 4 — were inside a bedroom unharmed. Medical and fire department personnel arrived and declared Robertson dead at the scene.
Investigators found eight bullet holes in kitchen drywall that exited the apartment. Bullet damage was also located in the room where the young children were, according to court records.
Witnesses told police they had gathered in the apartment for dinner and spent some of the after hours drinking and playing Uno and Spades as the children were in the next room. At one point, Huff allegedly commented on a hand, then retrieved a rifle from a couch and started shooting, the witnesses said.
One reporting witness told police Huff carries firearms at all times, including after a court-ordered seizure of other weapons he had. They also said Huff suffers from mental health and substance abuse issues, according to court papers.
After the shooting, one resident told police she ran into the bedroom to hide the children in the closet, on the ground. Huff then allegedly stole a family member’s vehicle at gunpoint and took off.
Along with witness statements, detectives investigating the case were provided video footage from a Ring doorbell surveillance camera that captured video of Huff arriving at the apartment and leaving, according to court papers. The vehicle reported stolen was found the next day in Kansas City.
Officer Jack Taylor, an Independence police spokesman, said Huff was arrested late Wednesday morning during a car stop in Kansas City. Huff was later transported to the Independence police station.
Court papers did not list a defense attorney for Huff as of Wednesday evening.
