On the evening of October 17, 2019, a gathering near East 45th Street and South Benton Avenue in Kansas City turned deadly when a drug transaction escalated into gunfire that killed three people, including 42-year-old Larona ’Rhonda’ Jones. Larona, a Black woman who worked as a dialysis technician and was described by family as caring, had been watching a football game at the residence when she was fatally shot.

Police arriving after hearing the shots found one victim, Larry Barnes, dead outside amid rifle shell casings, and inside the home discovered Larona Jones and another woman, Brandy Jones, both with fatal gunshot wounds. Officers detained a woman, Lynnsey D. Jones, trying to get into a vehicle with a rifle, and apprehended Victor Sykes running from the scene; he had blood on his hands and was wearing gloves.

Lynnsey Jones initially gave conflicting accounts but later told detectives she shot all three victims, saying she was a bad person. Both she and Sykes were charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of armed criminal action. Anyone with information about Larona Jones or that night’s events is asked to come forward.