KANSAS CITY (AP) — Authorities have charged a Higginsville man in the shooting deaths of a man and woman whose bodies were found in a bullet-riddled sport utility vehicle in Independence.
The bodies of Billy Davis and Ashley Walker were found Sunday in the SUV, which was parked behind a house in Independence, police said. On Thursday, Independence police announced in a Facebook post that 44-year-old Steven Turner Jr. had been arrested. Police also said they recovered a gun believed to have been used in the shooting.
Turner is charged in Jackson County with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action. Investigators said Turner was friends with Walker, but did not get along with Davis.
Turner told investigators he emptied his gun, shooting 17 times at Davis’ SUV, police said. He said he did not know Walker was in the vehicle at the time, police said.
Court document say shell casings found at Sunday's shooting scene matched shell casings found in five other shootings in the area, including a homicide in September 2020.