Family of Sir’Antonio Brown relieved to hear of 2 people arrested, charged with murder

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) - Sir’Antonio Brown’s mother, grandmother, aunt, great-aunt and a slew of cousins sat at a picnic table Thursday across the street from a memorial of balloons, bikes and candles spilling into the street.

The 6-year-old, referred to simply as “Sir” by his family, was killed on May 3 shortly after 6 p.m. Sir was playing in the yard of his home at N. 31st Street and Greeley Avenue when one or more men fired more than 30 shots from a car.

Many of the balloons left in front of the house have deflated in the two weeks since his death, but his family’s mood was lifted by news of two people arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

“We are thankful. We are grateful. We’re humbled,” said Sir’s great-aunt Shawna Davis-Scott. “Excitement, happy. I don’t think those are the right terms, but we can try to use those for the moment. Because the pain is going to be there forever, we’ve got to figure out how to turn this pain into joy.”

“It just made me feel good,” said Sir’s mother Shayna Davis. She paused, then added, “a little bit.”

Her nephew, 7-year-old Qwamayne Frazier, quickly interjected. “What about the other person?” he asked. “There’s another person.”

Police have said there were three men involved in the drive-by shooting. The third person has yet to be identified, arrested or charged.

“We got to two of the three, and we’re coming for the third one,” Police Chief Karl Oakman said earlier in the day. “We will not tolerate it.”

Police emphasized that they will arrest and seek prosecution of anyone hiding them.

Qwamayne pointed out a pickup parked in the street with a bullet hole in its hood and another in the shattered windshield. It belonged to his great-uncle who died from cancer in December. His house and Sir’s house are across the street from each other.

On Thursday, a group of kids bounced on a trampoline in Sir’s yard while two girls played a hand clapping game in Qwamayne’s driveway. They were having fun and drawn to the news camera, but they were not sheltered from the gravity of the past two weeks.

“The bad guys shoot Sir-Sir with a gun, and he started to go to God,” said 4-year-old cousin Amir Davis.

In the 15 days since her son was murdered, Shayna Davis has had a birthday without him and a Mother’s Day without him. Yet, she persisted. The day murder charges were filed, she graduated from KCK Community College’s culinary program.

She said she preserved because her family encouraged her.

“I had to keep telling myself that I gotta stay ’#SirStrong,’ and not give up because this is just the beginning,” she said.

“Knowing my niece is a little bit more comforted goes a long way,” Davis-Scott said, “knowing somebody cared enough to continue to work this case and to lock them up. . . . It’s not easy right now, but to say two people have been caught, I mean, that’s the biggest blessing that we could ask for.”

Davis-Scott wore a shirt with the words “Are you okay?” printed on it. She said it became Sir’s favorite question after her husband died. Sir decided to take over the role of protector for his extended family and was constantly asking that. It’s not hard to picture him asking them that now.

“Right now, we are not,” Davis-Scott said. “But we will be.”

Sir’s family is hoping the charges will eventually be upgraded to first-degree murder. They and police are pleading for information that will identify and locate the third suspect. If you have any information call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Previous coverage:

Woman charged following fatal shooting of 6-year-old in KCK

Hundreds gather to remember 6-year-old Sir’Antonio Brown

‘We are Sir Strong’: Family of slain 6-year-old raises money for funeral expenses

KCK police continue investigation into shooting of 6-year-old boy

KCK police search for suspects after 6-year-old is fatally shot while playing outside