More than three years after a 17-year-old was gunned down on a Kansas City street, local prosecutors have formally charged a local man in connection with the fatal shooting. Derrick L. Swain now faces charges of second-degree felony murder, two counts of armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon, as announced by Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.
A Deadly Encounter on 12th Street
The case dates back to the evening of May 7, 2023. According to court documents, officers with the Kansas City Police Department rushed to the area of 12th Street and Denver Avenue following reports of gunfire. They found a teenager suffering from gunshot wounds.
Emergency responders transported the victim to a hospital, where he was placed on life support. He died from his injuries a week later. Police identified him as 17-year-old Kavon Carter.
Investigators quickly turned to surveillance footage to piece together the incident. Cameras captured a vehicle with three occupants making a U-turn onto 12th Street. The occupants then opened fire toward the victims before speeding away from the scene.
Additional surveillance footage helped authorities retrace the movements of the vehicle’s occupants prior to the shooting. Cameras at a gas station recorded Swain getting out of that exact car just before the gunfire erupted.
Police Link Swain to Crime Through DNA and Witness Accounts
Building a case took years of investigative work. Police eventually linked Swain to the crime through a combination of phone number searches, DNA evidence, and witness accounts.
The breakthrough leading directly to his apprehension came in October 2026. On October 19, authorities arrested Swain on an unrelated weapons offense.
When interviewed by police days later, Swain denied any involvement in the 2023 homicide. Detectives showed him still photographs from the gas station taken on the night of the shooting. According to court records, Swain claimed he did not recognize the people in the images and could not offer any information to assist investigators.
However, recognition came from an official familiar with Swain’s appearance. On October 22, Swain’s probation officer reviewed the gas station surveillance photos and positively identified Swain as the individual captured in the frames.
Swain Violates Probation Terms Before Weapons Arrest
At the time of his arrest and identification, Swain was already under supervised probation for first-degree burglary and unlawful use of a weapon.
Court documents reveal that Swain had stopped complying with the terms of his supervision months earlier. He failed to report to his supervising officer on June 12, 2026. After missing a subsequent meeting on July 24, 2026, a formal probation violation warrant was entered into the system.
Before those warrants were served, Swain’s mother reported him missing on June 28, 2026. He remained unaccounted for until his October 19 arrest on the unrelated weapons charge.
While Swain faces charges as an adult now, court records note that the two other individuals inside the vehicle during the 2023 shooting were juveniles at the time of the incident.
