Incident Overview
On Saturday, January 31, 2026, shortly after 8:00 p.m., Kansas City Police responded to reports of a shooting inside the Popeyes restaurant at 31st Street and Prospect Avenue. Officers arrived to find two shooting victims—one in the parking lot and another unresponsive on the restaurant floor.
The victim found inside the restaurant was pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified as 28-year-old Decorrian Partee, a DoorDash driver who had entered the restaurant to pick up a food delivery order. According to court documents, Partee was not involved in the altercation that led to the shooting—he was simply standing near the counter when gunfire erupted.
Partee's girlfriend told detectives that the couple was working together making DoorDash deliveries that evening. She had decided to stay in the car while he went inside to pick up the Popeyes order. After hearing the gunshot, she ran inside and found her boyfriend on the ground.
A second victim was found in the parking lot suffering from a gunshot wound to his face. He was transported to a nearby hospital and reported to be in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. Court documents reveal that the shooter had been in an argument with this man over a cellphone, and when he fired at his intended target, the bullet passed through the man's cheek and struck Partee, who was standing nearby.
Remembering Decorrian Partee
Decorrian Partee, 28, was a father to two young boys, ages 6 and 7. He was working as a DoorDash driver alongside his girlfriend when his life was tragically cut short. His mother expressed her grief to local media, stating: "My son didn't do anything wrong." She emphasized that her son was an innocent bystander who was simply picking up a food order when he was killed. Partee's death represents the tragic reality faced by gig economy workers who enter potentially dangerous situations as part of their daily work, often without any warning of the risks they may encounter.
Suspect Arrested & Charged
Joseph Watson, 22, of Kansas City, Missouri, has been charged with second-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action, first-degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon.
Watson is being held in the Jackson County Detention Center on a $250,000 cash-only bond. Police traced Watson to the scene through surveillance video and records from a nearby marijuana dispensary's rewards program, which documented him leaving the shop at 7:53 p.m.—just minutes before the shooting.
Location & Context
The Popeyes restaurant is located at 31st Street and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. Prospect Avenue has been identified by law enforcement as one of the corridors on the Missouri side of Kansas City that reports the most shootings.
This shooting was the ninth homicide in Kansas City, Missouri in 2026, occurring just one month into the new year. While the city reported a 5% decrease in homicides in 2025 compared to the previous year—with the homicide total being the lowest since 2018—violence in certain corridors like Prospect Avenue remains a significant concern.
Property Details
Property Type: Fast food restaurant (Popeyes) at 31st Street and Prospect Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri
High-Crime Corridor: Prospect Avenue has been identified by law enforcement as one of the corridors that reports the most shootings on the Missouri side of Kansas City.
2026 Homicide Count: This was the ninth homicide in Kansas City, Missouri in 2026, occurring just one month into the new year.
Prospect Avenue Corridor
High-Crime Corridor: Sections along Prospect Avenue and Independence Avenue report the most shootings on the Missouri side of Kansas City.
Urban League Involvement: The Urban League of Greater Kansas City has been working for over a year to improve the Prospect Avenue area, including the nearby Linwood Shopping Center.
Call for Action: Following this shooting, Urban League President and CEO Gwendolyn Grant called on police to increase patrols in the area and commit funds to putting more community-focused officers in the Prospect corridor.
Revitalization Efforts: Just days before this shooting, the Urban League had been celebrating progress in the shopping district, including a new grocery store replacing the old Sunfresh Market.
Timeline of Events
Suspect Joseph Watson captured on video leaving a nearby marijuana dispensary
Watson arrives at Popeyes; altercation over a cellphone escalates inside the restaurant
Watson fires one shot; bullet passes through intended victim's cheek and strikes Decorrian Partee
Police respond to find two victims; Partee pronounced dead at scene
Joseph Watson arrested and charged with second-degree murder
Fast Food Restaurant Security Standards
Quick service restaurants (QSRs) are the ninth highest location for violent crimes in the United States, with more than 15,000 violent crimes occurring at QSRs every year. A study of QSRs in California documented over 77,200 accounts of violent or threatening incidents through 911 call analysis over a four-year period. Most fast-food chains have developed standard security protocols including video surveillance systems, alarm systems, time-delay safes, and robbery prevention training. Industry security experts recommend that as the crime risk of a restaurant location increases, so should the level of security measures.
Video Surveillance Systems
Industry standards recommend 10 cameras per 1,000 square feet for quick-service restaurants, covering entrances, exits, dining areas, kitchens, and parking lots. Cameras with infrared night vision are recommended as crimes like vandalism are particularly common at night.
Security Personnel
Restaurants in high-crime areas should consider employing security guards, particularly during peak hours and evening shifts. Security presence serves as both a deterrent and a resource for de-escalating conflicts before they turn violent.
Employee Training
Robbery prevention and conflict de-escalation training should be provided to all staff. Employees should know how to recognize warning signs of escalating situations and have clear protocols for when and how to alert management or law enforcement.
Physical Security Barriers
For restaurants in high-crime areas, bullet-resistant transaction windows and physical barriers between customers and employees can help protect workers from violence. Self-closing and self-latching service windows add additional protection.
Adequate Lighting
Interior and exterior lighting should be sufficient to deter criminal activity and allow surveillance cameras to capture clear footage. Parking lot lighting is particularly important, as many QSR incidents occur in parking areas.
Panic Buttons & Alarm Systems
Silent alarm systems and panic buttons allow employees to discreetly alert authorities during dangerous situations. These should be strategically placed at registers, in the manager's office, and at drive-thru windows.
Potential Negligent Security Considerations
Most states' common law obliges a fast food restaurant operator to provide reasonable and adequate security measures once they are on notice of prior crimes. The fact that fast-food chain restaurants experience violent incidents regularly puts the entire chain on notice that such crimes are foreseeable. Failing to provide adequate security could be viewed as negligent management if an injured crime victim filed a civil lawsuit.
Several factors may warrant examination regarding this incident:
1 Prior Criminal Activity in the Area
The Popeyes is located on Prospect Avenue, which has been identified by law enforcement as one of the corridors with the most shootings in Kansas City. This known crime pattern may establish that the restaurant operator was on notice of potential security risks at this location and should have implemented enhanced security measures.
2 Security Personnel Presence
Whether the restaurant employed security guards or had any security personnel present at the time of the shooting is a relevant consideration. Given the location's crime environment, the presence of trained security staff might have allowed for intervention during the altercation before it escalated to gunfire.
3 De-escalation Protocols
The shooting resulted from an altercation over a cellphone that escalated to violence inside the restaurant. Whether employees were trained to recognize and de-escalate conflicts, and whether they had protocols to alert management or law enforcement when situations became tense, are factors that may be examined.
4 Surveillance and Monitoring
The presence of surveillance cameras is evidenced by police tracing the suspect through video footage. However, whether the surveillance was actively monitored, whether it met industry standards for QSRs in high-crime areas, and whether it was sufficient to deter criminal activity are relevant questions.
5 Innocent Bystander Exposure
Decorrian Partee was an innocent bystander who was not involved in the altercation. The restaurant's layout, customer flow patterns, and whether the design of the premises minimized exposure of uninvolved patrons to potential violence may be considered in evaluating whether reasonable security measures were in place.
Missouri Premises Liability Law
Under Missouri law, business owners have a duty to exercise reasonable care to protect patrons from foreseeable criminal acts. The key question in negligent security cases is whether the business knew or should have known of the danger and failed to take reasonable steps to prevent it. For restaurants in high-crime areas like the Prospect Avenue corridor, the standard of care may require enhanced security measures beyond what would be expected in lower-crime locations. The Urban League's ongoing efforts to improve safety in the area and calls for increased police presence underscore the known security concerns in this corridor.
If you or a loved one was affected by a similar incident, the experienced negligent security attorneys featured on this site offer free, confidential consultations to help you understand your legal options.