Community reacts as teen accused of Shaun Brady murder won’t be tried as an adult
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - This week, a Jackson County family court judge ruled the teen charged in the murder of well-known Kansas City chef Shaun Brady will not be tried as an adult. It was a decision that shocked many in the community.
“My question here is why?” said Butch Rigby, who owns the building Brady’s restaurant, Brady & Fox, used to be. “Shaun Brady was a friend as much as he was a tenant. He was a gregarious, friendly, outgoing guy. We were just devastated to learn of his death. It was the hardest thing I’ve been through in many, many years.”
Rigby says he’s still trying to comprehend what was decided in court.
“I wasn’t in the hearing and I’m not the judge,” said Rigby. “I wasn’t there. I didn’t hear the totality of the evidence, but I have a hard time understanding how, if this person did this, how it wouldn’t be tried in adult court.”
He and others KCTV spoke to shared the same sentiment. They don’t feel like there are any consequences to what happened.
“There has got to be a consequence for using a gun in a crime, especially a gun to commit murder,” said Rigby. “A decision was made to carry a gun, to load a gun, to take the gun, to use the gun when clearly there was a path to leave. There was no bad threat to the perpetrators. I stand with a lot of community with a lot of questions about how this result could happen today.”
Keli O’Neill Wenzel, the executive director of the Kansas City Irish Fest, provided the following statement in response to the decision:
“All of us in this wonderfully close-knit Irish community of ours are still very much distraught over the senseless murder of our friend Shaun at the hands of this irresponsible young man. We grieve for Shaun’s family. His mom and siblings in Ireland. And his wife and children left behind. Shaun never harmed anyone. He was good to everyone.”
Rigby says while it seems like the city and police have been working to address safety and crime in the area since Brady’s murder, he says going forward, there has to be consequences for those committing crime, especially for those who use guns.
“Do I feel like justice isn’t being served?” said Rigby. “Well, from what I know sure doesn’t feel like it.”
Following a hearing on Wednesday, a judge determined the 15-year-old accused in Brady’s murder should remain in secure detention.
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