Teen survives shooting in Kennett, police investigate motive and charges

KENNETT — A 19-year-old city man who was shot Tuesday afternoon has been able to return home, Kennett Police Department Chief Kenny Wilson said Wednesday.

The victim is said to have suffered a gunshot from a .45 caliber weapon striking just beneath his front left shoulder, near his clavicle. It exited his back at the shoulder line just beneath his head, Wilson said.

The unnamed teen was airlifted to a Memphis hospital for treatment of what police first described as a life-threatening injury.

Dunklin County and Kennett first responders were on scene at approximately noon Tuesday at the Cottonwood Plaza strip center at 686 Independence Ave. The victim had fled from the gunman after he was shot somewhere in the 2000 Block of Bradley Street, Wilson said.

A 16-year-old has been arrested in connection with the shooting and may be charged as an adult, he explained.

If the alleged gunman is charged as an adult, felony first-degree assault and felony armed criminal action charges are expected, Wilson said.

Dunklin County Sheriff Nick Darter, Chief Deputy Bobby Jones, along with Wilson and other KPD officers, Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Jain’s investigator Mark Dennis, Kennett Fire Dept. personnel, Missouri State Highway Patrol personnel and Medic One Ambulance Service personnel all responded to the scene.

Unverified reports Tuesday stated an ongoing argument led to the shooting, and two juveniles were in police custody at the Kennett Police Department as a result of the investigation.

One juvenile was released from custody, while the alleged shooter is in custody per the Dunklin County Juvenile Office.