Prophet Thompson

On the evening of May 7, 2024, a gathering at a home on Corrington Avenue in south Kansas City was shattered by gunfire. Prophet Thompson, a 23-year-old Black man from Independence, Missouri, was at the residence when the shooting erupted. Neighbors reported hearing the sound of automatic gunfire for several minutes. The shots damaged cars and nearby houses, and at least seven young children were seen leaving the chaotic scene with relatives.

When Kansas City police officers responded to the home around 7:30 p.m., they found a woman outside on the front porch, unresponsive with a critical gunshot wound to her chest. Inside the residence, officers discovered Prophet Thompson, who had been shot in his stomach and upper thigh. First responders rendered aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A third victim, a teenage boy who had also been shot, was transported to a local hospital by private vehicle.

The investigation quickly led to a suspect. The day after the shooting, police took a teenage boy into custody. He was identified as 17-year-old Jewell Cobbins of Raytown. Investigators learned that Cobbins had been in the car that brought the wounded teenage victim to Research Medical Center. Surveillance video from the hospital showed Cobbins and a female companion walking across the street to hide three pistols behind a rock wall; police later recovered the weapons. Other surveillance footage showed Cobbins firing multiple shots at the home where the victims were struck.

Jewell Cobbins was charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, second-degree assault, and three counts of armed criminal action. In September 2024, a family court certified him to stand trial as an adult. Six months later, in March 2025, Cobbins, then 18, pleaded guilty in Jackson County Circuit Court to voluntary manslaughter, unlawful use of a weapon, second-degree assault, and two counts of armed criminal action. He was sentenced to prison for his role in the shooting.