KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Jackson County judge has found a former security guard guilty of second-degree murder in the deadly shooting of 45-year-old Kevin Thomas outside the Yum Yum Bar and Grill on Kansas City’s Eastside.
The judge found 24-year-old Markell Pinkins guilty of second-degree murder Wednesday, according to Jackson County prosecutors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 20.
Pinkins was a Force One security guard working at the Yum Yum Bar and Grill, located near 24th and Hardesty on June 29, 2018, when he and other guards responded to an incident involving the victim in a nearby vehicle.
Pinkins told police at the scene that he fired at Thomas three times after the victim revved the car’s engine, but video surveillance of the incident didn’t show the car moving aggressively toward the security guards.