House arrest denied for minor accused in fatal shooting of Kourtney Freeman, 11

A Jackson County Family Court judge denied house arrest Wednesday for a young man accused in the fatal shooting of 11-year-old Kourtney Freeman in April, according to the defendant’s attorneys.

The alleged shooter was charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of armed criminal action and seven counts of fourth-degree assault, according to attorney Tyson Bramley,

He has not been publicly named because he is a minor.

Freeman was fatally shot April 10, at his home on Flora Avenue in the Linwood Homeowners-Ivanhoe neighborhood. Kansas City police officers discovered Freeman unconscious with a gunshot wound shortly before 10 p.m.

The suspect was arrested by Kansas City police on May 21. Police initially said the shots likely came from outside the home.

The young man has been held in Jackson County Juvenile Detention since the charges were filed on May 22.

Now that house arrest has been denied by a judge, he will remain there for future hearings.

Freeman’s funeral was on April 21. She would have turned 12 in May.

An Ewing Marion Kauffman School student, free man I played basketball and was part of a local step team. She also participated in extracurricular organizations dedicated to violence prevention.

“Despite her young age, Kourtney possessed wisdom far beyond her years, approaching life with a grace and maturity that inspired all who knew her,” her obituary read.

Samantha Freeman, Kourtney’s mother, said she is anxious for her daughter’s killer face consequences. Police said they believe Freeman was targeted in his death.

A detention hearing will be later this summer, followed by a certification hearing this fall, Bramley said. This will determine whether the alleged shooter will be tried as an adult.

If convicted, the shooter could face between 10 years and life in prison on the murder charge alone. If charged as a juvenile, he would be eligible for parole after 15 years, while he might never be eligible for parole if charged as an adult.

Bramley declined to comment further on the allegations against his client.

Abigale Lawson, a juvenile court attorney representing Freeman’s family, could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

The Jackson County Circuit Court was also unavailable for comment Wednesday.

As she mourns her daughter, Samantha Freeman hopes to move away from Kansas City, according to sister Myesha Clay-Freeman. A fund raising for Samantha’s moving expenses had raised just over $8,500 as of Tuesday.

Freeman was the sixth person under 18 killed in Kansas City in 2024, according to data collected by The Star. Since his death, three other minors have been shot dead in the city.

Previous reporting by Noelle Alviz-Gransee and Bob Cronkleton was used in this article.