Missouri man charged with murder after car shooting

A 26-year-old Missouri man is facing murder charges after allegedly shooting another man inside a vehicle on April 30. The incident occurred in Kansas City just before 7 p.m.

According to authorities, a female witness picked up the defendant and the victim at a hotel near 63rd Street and Missouri 350. She said the defendant sat in the front passenger seat of her Mitsubishi sedan and started acting “crazy” and extremely high. Apparently, he was loudly complaining that someone had stolen his money. To drown out his ranting, the witness turned up the volume to her car radio.

Meanwhile, the victim, who was seated in the back of the vehicle, was trying to calm down the defendant by explaining that no one had taken his money. However, as the vehicle approached the intersection of Interstate 435 and Eastwood Trafficway, the defendant allegedly shot the victim in the face with a handgun and proceeded to wave the weapon around. When the witness asked what was going on, the defendant told her that the victim shot him first.

The witness eventually pulled over on the 4000 block of Blue Ridge Cutoff, and police were called to the scene. A search of the vehicle allegedly uncovered a .40-caliber handgun and a matching shell casing. Officers also found a 9mm handgun in the back seat, but it does not appear that the victim fired the weapon. The defendant was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm.

A criminal defense attorney may represent a murder defendant in court and work to undermine the prosecution’s evidence. In some cases, this might lead to an acquittal or dismissal of charges. In other circumstances, it may be used as leverage to obtain a favorable plea deal.

Source: KSHB, “Man ‘higher than anyone’ charged with shooting fellow car passenger,” Tod Palmer, May 1, 2019