For Immediate Release
November 12, 2025
Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson today announced charges against a Kansas City man in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred in April.
Martez Jacoway Jr. faces 2nd Degree Murder, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. *
According to court records, Kansas City police responded to a shooting on April 17 and found the victim in the front passenger seat of a white Ford Focus suffering from a single gunshot wound to his back. He was pronounced deceased at a nearby hospital.
Witnesses told detectives they saw a man wearing a black hoodie at the driver’s side window holding a rifle. The man fired several rounds toward the white Ford Focus. Surveillance footage captured muzzle flashes from the front driver’s side of a black vehicle directed at the victim’s vehicle.
Detectives used the Automated License Plate Recognition (APLR) system to track the suspect vehicle’s movements, which led to the identification of the defendant. The defendant’s cellphone records showed incoming and outgoing calls from areas that matched the black Nissan’s path on the day of the homicide, corroborating surveillance footage, city camera footage, and license plate reader data.
The defendant had previously been identified by SAVE KC, but did not attend a call-in.
He is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond.
* Charges are only accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until the defendant is either found guilty or pleads guilty.
# # #
Media Contact:
Jazzlyn Johnson
Director of Communications
Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office
415 E 12th Street
Kansas City, MO - 64106
(816) 929-1289
jazzlyn.johnson@jacksongov.org
https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com