Man charged with fatally strangling 23-year-old after 'accusing him of theft'
A 39-year-old employee of an O'Reilly Auto Parts store was arrested and charged with murder this week after video footage allegedly showed him cornering and accusing a 23-year-old patron of stealing, before strangling him.
Police arrived at the scene to discover the body of Diamond Steen, 23. A video that was not officially released to the public allegedly showed Carl R. Kemppainen arguing with the younger man outside in the parking lot before attacking him. Kemppainen has been charged with one count of second-degree murder.
According to witnesses and videos, Kamppainen and another man were shown stomping and kicking at Steen, and at some point he was sitting on him, and at another point he was kneeling on Steen's neck. Many online have pointed out that it is likely that race played a part in the accusations, though law enforcement has so far made no comment.
A white 39-year-old man was arrested and charged with murder this week after videos of him strangling a 23-year-old Black man to death after accusing him of stealing (Fox4)“Make no mistake, it is law enforcement’s job to do the policing, no one else’s,” Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree said in a Thursday news conference announcing that Kemppanian was arrested. Kemppainen was booked into the Wyandotte County Detention Center and released after posting a bond of $125,000.
Someone who knows Steen posted on X about the situation, saying: "My cousin lost her boyfriend last night to a yt man that decided to kneel on his neck because he thought he was shoplifting.. my cousins baby is due in 1 month & her dr appt to see her daughter on the sonogram machine was 2day. JUSTICE FOR DIAMOND STEEN!"
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According to dispatchers, they received a call saying that the employees were confronting two would-be shoplifters. By the time they got there, the altercation was over. “We have law enforcement. We have police. We have folks who put their lives on the line daily to protect and to serve this community,” Dupree said. “It is law enforcement’s job to do the policing. No one else’s. And it’s important that the community understands that.”
More criminal charges could follow based on the findings of detectives as a 'plethora of evidence' has come forth (Fox4)More criminal charges could follow based on the findings of detectives as a “plethora of evidence” has come forth, the district attorney added. A video of the incident went viral on Facebook and TikTok, showing store employees detaining the two men on the ground outside the store. One of the alleged shoplifters was on the sidewalk while the other was in the parking lot.
“The reasoning by which police were called out was brought to my attention. Part of that is still being investigated,” Dupree said during the news conference. “If there was a potential crime that was being alleged, we do know that in this country, you still have to go to the court, and someone’s life cannot be taken.” The three other individuals involved may also end up facing charges as the investigation continues.
Angela Germany, the mother of Steen's two children, said that she had a great bond with him. She described the victim as being a "great person" since they first met.
The killing was the 19th homicide in Kansas City, Kansas this year, according to data tracked by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings.
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