A Jackson County judge ruled Wednesday that a 16-year-old boy charged for allegedly firing a gun at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally in February will not face prosecution as an adult.
The decision came after Jackson County Family Court Administrative Judge Jennifer Phillips heard evidence from the boy’s attorney and the Jackson County Juvenile Officer, which attempted to have the boy certified and his case transferred out of family court, where juvenile cases are prosecuted.
“After hearing the evidence that was presented by the Jackson County Juvenile Officer and the juvenile’s attorneys relating to certification, (Phillips) determined the juvenile was a proper subject to be dealt with under the provisions of the Missouri juvenile justice system,” the Office of the Juvenile Officer said in a news release Thursday.
“As such, the court did not certify the juvenile to stand trial as an adult, and the matter will continue to be heard in the Jackson County Family Court.”
The boy, who has been referred to in court throughout the certification proceedings by his initials, A.M., was charged with one count of unlawful use of a weapon and one count of resisting arrest. He was one of three juveniles charged following the shooting.
A.M. was released from secured detention on house arrest with electronic monitoring, as well as requirements for family therapy, maintaining his medication and some other additional conditions of release, A.M.’s attorney, Yashwanth Manjunath told The Kansas City Star.
State law lays out a group of factors for a judge to consider when reviewing whether to send a juvenile case to general jurisdiction court, including the seriousness of the alleged offense, whether it involved viciousness and violence, whether it was part of a pattern of offenses, as well the child’s age and history.
Testimony in A.M.’s certification hearing played out over the course of two days in April and May. Phillips heard testimony from professionals who assessed the boy and his case, his family and law enforcement.
Police have said the shooting at the end of the large celebratory event was set off by an argument between two groups. One woman, identified as local DJ and radio host Lisa Lopez-Galvan, 43, was killed and dozens of others were left with injuries, including multiple children.
A.M. was “very clearly” not the aggressor in the incident, and fired only in response after Lyndell Mays — one of three men later charged with murder in connection with the rally shooting — fired first, setting off the flurry of gunshots, Manjunath said during closing arguments in May.
“A.M. is a kid who made a mistake on one day and needs some guidance,” he said then.
Monica Penrose, an attorney representing the Jackson County Juvenile Officer told Phillips during her closing argument the boy’s decision to be armed with a gun he fired was an “adult choice” and noted A.M. had been part of the confrontation between the two groups that sparked the shooting.
The boy ran as the gunfire erupted, removed himself from danger and then turned and fired “indiscriminately” at Mays, who was on the ground and no longer a threat, Penrose said.
“This was not an act of self-defense,” she said then.
A certification hearing for another juvenile charged in the shooting is expected to start July 25. A third teen was detained on gun-related charges that do not rise to the level to be tried as an adult.
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