A man involved in a 2025 downtown Springfield shooting has been sentenced to eight years in prison for illegally possessing a stolen firearm.
Slightly after midnight on July 20, 2025, Springfield Police Department responded to shots fired near the intersection of South Patton Avenue and West Walnut Street. A victim was found with a life-threatening gunshot wound and an "AR"-style pistol was located underneath a 2014 Chevy Cruze in a parking lot.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri, the shooting was captured on surveillance cameras and showed 25-year-old Kenkori Grant Jr. approach an individual, lift the front of his shirt and reveal a firearm in the front of his waistband. He then placed
his right hand on the gun and began pulling it from his waistband. The individual Grant Jr. had approached then pulled a pistol and shot multiple rounds toward Grant Jr. and his companion, striking both. According to court documents, Grant Jr. was shot in the leg and had a laceration of a graze wound on his arm. According to the release, later investigations revealed Grant Jr. had made threats against the individual he approached.
As bystanders fled from the area, Grant Jr. removed the firearm from his waistband, kneeled by the Cruze and placed the gun under the car before walking away. According to the release, the firearm was found to have been stolen. The firearm was a Fort Barnes Armory semi-automatic pistol equipped with a 30-round, high-capacity magazine and loaded with 19 rounds of assorted ammunition in the magazine.
Grant Jr., of Sedalia, had previous felony convictions for harassment, assault and unlawful use of a weapon. On the day of the shooting, according to the release, he had been released from prison approximately two months prior and was on probation for being a felon in possession of a firearm out of Pettis County. On Thursday, Sept. 10, Grant Jr. was sentenced in federal court to eight years in prison. He was originally indicted on two additional charges but under the plea agreement, these were dismissed.
Federal law bars anyone convicted of a felony to be in possession of a firearm. In February, Grant Jr. pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Man involved in 2025 Springfield shooting sentenced for stolen firearm
