Federal Gun Charges Confront Suspect After Shooting Death Of Kansas City Firefighter

More deets and follow-up after a local gunfire tragedy.

Here's the statement . . .

United States Western District of Missouri DOJ: Man Involved in Firefighter’s Death Charged with Felon in Possession

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who was involved in the death of a firefighter was charged in federal court today with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Ja’Von L. Taylor, 23, was charged in a criminal complaint filed today in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City. According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, police officers with the Independence Missouri Police Department were dispatched on October 6, 2022, at approximately 2:31 p.m. on a reported shooting of a victim inside a convenience store. Surveillance videos showed Taylor returned to his vehicle after becoming very agitated inside the business. Surveillance videos also showed Taylor and the victim fighting over an item that Taylor was holding, which was a firearm with an extended magazine. At one point, the female passenger with Taylor got the firearm and fires a round, appearing to strike the victim in the back. The victim, a firefighter, died as a result of the injuries sustained from the gunshot.

Taylor remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing. The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg Coonrod. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Independence Missouri Police Department.

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