LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) - A Kansas City man was charged Wednesday in a 2017 shooting that killed a 3-year-old boy and injured the child’s father and uncle.
Derrick Wren Jr., 28, was charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of first-degree assault, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced.
The boy, Marcus Haislip III, was shot on May 12, 2017, in his car seat when someone fired from near the porch area of a home into a car carrying him, his father and his uncle, investigators said. The two adults were shot but survived.
Peters Baker said investigators don’t know a motive for the shooting.
She read a statement from Marcus’ mother, who did not want to be identified. The mother said she appreciated the law enforcement officials who worked on the case and support she continues to receive from many people since the death of her son, who she described as “such a sweetheart.”
“There were times I felt that I wouldn’t see any progress, so for even making it here I am grateful.” the mother wrote.
Peters Baker praised Kansas City police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their cooperation in the lengthy investigation.
“I hope this kind of announcement offers some peace to this family, knowing we have a long road ahead still,” she said, “but that it also offers hope to some other families who are waiting for justice in their cases.”
She noted a $10,000 reward is still being offered and she hoped for more arrests in the case.
Police Chief Rick Smith said he was “thrilled” by the charges and praised detectives for continuing to pursue the case.
In 2019, the Missouri Highway Patrol notified detectives that DNA from a Styrofoam cup found at the crime scene matched the defendant, and shell casings from a gun Wren owned were found at the scene, according to court records. Last year, new witnesses told detectives Wren had confessed to shooting the child, court documents said.
Peters Baker said it took nearly four years to bring charges because investigators wanted to corroborate the evidence, and the witnesses who did that came forward late last year.
Wren’s bond was set at $250,000 cash. Wren is currently in federal custody for attempting to acquire a weapon while under indictment. He was served Wednesday with a warrant in this case.
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