Jury convicts man of 3 counts of murder following shootings in 2019

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A second person has been convicted of murder following fatal shootings in October of 2019, which left three people dead in Kansas City.

According to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, a jury convicted 47-year-old Victor Sykes of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of armed criminal action.

According to court records, officers were on patrol in the area of E. 45th Street and S. Benton Avenue on Oct. 17, 2019, when they heard gunshots. They then saw a man, now identified as Victor Sykes, walking in the area. They also saw a woman, now identified as Lynnsey Jones, who appeared to have a rifle in her hands.

Jones got into a black sedan, but was quickly taken into custody. A firearm was indeed found in the vehicle.

An additional officer pursued Sykes on foot and he was taken into custody.

Police found the body of one male victim in the street and rifle casings were recovered from nearby. The front door of a residence was ajar and police found another shooting victim on the floor there. The third victim, who had also been shot, was also found inside the residence.

The three victims were later identified as Larona T. Jones, Larry T. Barnes and Brandy Jones.

Jones told police that she’d gone to the residence to buy narcotics. She said that, after she went inside and smoke marijuana with two unknown women, she went back outside and found two men with guns arguing. She also denied that Sykes was at the scene.

The probable cause document states that a witness told police he heard gunshots, then saw Sykes punching one of the victims on the ground. He then heard Sykes yell, “Shoot him, baby! Shoot him!” and saw Jones shoot the victim several times while the victim was on the ground.

Jones admitted to shooting all three of the victims and became a co-defendant. A judge has already sentenced her to three life sentences. A jury convicted her of the same counts as Jones.

The probable cause document noted that Sykes had “prior contacts with law enforcement officers and is [as of Oct. 18, 2019] currently on parole for murder.” Detectives requested an arrest warrant in lieu of a summons given “his recent conduct” and their belief that he was “a danger to himself and the public.”

Sykes will be sentenced for today’s convictions on April 4, 2023. His mugshot is not currently available.