Shave and a Haircut · A Little Off the Top
Five Minutes Outside the Shop
State v. Powell (2024)
Charge: Intentional second-degree murder - shooting a friend in the doorway of a barbershop after a fistfightCourt: Kansas Court of Appeals (appeal from Geary District Court)Docket: A Little Off the Top
Was the shooting outside the barbershop self-defence?
The facts
Three friends went to a Kansas barbershop together for haircuts. All three had guns with them. One of them, a man of 6'3" and about 256 pounds, grew angry with Willie Powell Jr., who was 5'6", and the two went outside to fight. The bigger man punched Powell, knocked his phone away and tore his shirt before the third friend broke it up. According to the State's witnesses, Powell went to the car, got his gun and came back shirtless about five minutes later; from inside the shop the other man taunted him about having a gun, then stepped out, and Powell fired four or five shots at close range. The man died in the shop doorway. Powell ran, hid in a trash can and surrendered about twelve hours later. He testified that the gun had been in his waistband all along and that he drew it to stop a beating.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: State v. Powell, No. 126,408 (Kan. Ct. App. June 21, 2024) (unpublished)
Read more at 2jd.kscourts.gov. The source reveals the outcome.