I knew him as a UCM honor student. Why Adonis Knight’s shooting death at 23 is tragic | Opinion

A few years ago, I spoke to a group of first-generation college students at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. I was invited there by a member of UCM’s student support services department. I was asked to offer words of encouragement to a diverse set of students from all over Missouri, Kansas and other Midwestern states.

One of them was Adonis Knight, a 2018 graduate of Olathe North High School. Adonis died recently at the age of 23. His tragic death at the hands of his mother’s husband saddened me.

That day, Adonis and I shared similar stories of growing up under tough circumstances and how he wanted to become the first in his family to graduate college.

During our few moments together, I could easily sense his focus and dedication to finishing school. In less than four years, Adonis graduated from UCM with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

He was a 4.0 student and earned summa cum laude honors. Adonis wanted to work for the FBI some day, his sister, Janiece Knight, told me this week.

Unfortunately, Adonis will never live out his dream of becoming a federal agent. Adonis was one of two brothers shot and killed by their mother’s husband Oct. 29 at a home in Independence.

I reached out to Janiece and Cole Carmody, Adonis’ best friend from high school, to express my condolences. I wanted to learn more about the journey Adonis took to become a college grad.

This young man’s life is worth more than a blurb in the local newspaper, I said to them. His story deserves to be told.

Both agreed to speak to me about what made Adonis such a respected colleague, friend, brother and son. Neither wanted to discuss the circumstances behind the shooting deaths of Adonis and older brother, Mario Batrez, 30.

And that is understandable. The grieving process for those closest to the brothers is ongoing. I couldn’t blame either of them for not wanting to go into specifics about such an unimaginable tragedy.

While still a student at UCM in 2021, Adonis interned with Target, according to Janiece. He was hired full time after finishing school, she said. He was employed in the assets protection unit at Target’s Bolger Square Shopping Center location in Independence, the company confirmed.

Adonis was skilled at loss prevention work, his sister said. He was a well-liked and respected employee.

Adonis quickly worked his way up to executive team leader for the unit, which came as no surprise to the people who knew him well.

“Adonis was a great guy,” Janiece said. “He had so much going for him. He was the first one in our family to go to college and get a degree.”

One of 2 sons killed by mother’s husband

On Nov. 2, Jackson County prosecutors charged Terrill S. Anderson, 40, of Independence, with second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter for allegedly shooting and killing Mario and Adonis.

Anderson is married to the brothers’ mother, according to prosecutors. He was also charged with two counts of armed criminal action for allegedly killing the men after a fight broke out in a home in the 21100 block of East 50th Terrace Drive South in Independence.

Anderson told investigators he shot both men multiple times in self-defense, according to a probable cause statement I read.

During a fight among Anderson and the brothers, Anderson told investigators one of the men, identified as Victim 1 in court documents, was armed with a knife, according to prosecutors.

Anderson told investigators that he feared for his life when he fired multiple rounds. But neither brother was armed when they were shot nor did they pose a threat to Anderson after they were wounded, prosecutors alleged in court documents.

He shot each brother multiple times as they lay wounded on the floor, according to prosecutors.

Much of what led to the physical altercation and shooting was captured on home security cameras, prosecutors said.

Three of Anderson’s biological children were present in an upstairs bedroom during the shooting, authorities said. None were injured or witnessed this unspeakable incident, according to court documents.

For weeks before his death, all Adonis could talk about was a planned trip to Hawaii to celebrate his 24th birthday on Nov. 13. The next day, Knight and a few close friends would leave Kansas City on a five-day trip to the island, sister Janiece told me this week.

Adonis wanted to rent an exotic Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk SUV to tour the island with his buddies, Janiece said. Adonis was beyond excited for his first visit to Hawaii.

“He talked about it every single day,” Janiece said.

Standout athlete at Olathe North

In January 2020, I was back at UCM to keynote the school’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Scholarship dinner. Adonis was one of five UCM students awarded scholarships from the university’s alumni foundation. We shared the stage together with other winners and snapped a few group photos with UCM dignitaries.

It was a joyous occasion. Janiece was there to see her brother shine as was their father, William Knight IV. The elder Knight beamed with pride that night, Janiece told me.

Sadly, two years ago, William passed away. After William died, Adonis knew of only one way to honor his father’s memory. He went extra hard at work, Janiece said.

“He was really determined,” she said.

Adonis, of Lee’s Summit, graduated from Olathe North High School in 2018. While there, he played soccer, basketball and football, longtime friend Cole Carmody told me.

When Adonis enrolled at UCM that same year, he became the first in his family to attend college. Still, Adonis never forgot his roots. He remained loyal to family and friends, Carmody said.

“And that is what made him so great,” he said. “Whatever he started, he finished. He was 100 percent dedicated to what he did. He was a special person to be around.”

Carmody, 24, teaches world and American history at Junction City High School in Junction City, Kansas. He also coaches baseball at the school. News of Adonis’ death was devastating, Carmody said. He was on lunch break when he heard. He could not finish the day at work.

Carmody’s parents made a two-hour drive from Johnson County “to pick me up and take me back to Kansas City. I had to tell all of our friends that one of our friends, one of our brothers, had died,” he said. “It was hard for sure.”

I asked Carmody what made Adonis special to those that knew him best. He likened some of the students he teaches to Adonis. He will use his friend’s story to motivate them to chart the right path in life.

“I teach at a school where there are a lot of kids like Adonis,” Carmody said. “He always did the right thing. In his last moments, I would like to believe he was doing the right thing. He is with his brother and his dad. He was an amazing young man.”

Indeed, he was.

Adonis’ story was an improbable one. He didn’t deserve to have it end so tragically.