The Jackson County, Missouri, prosecutor’s office announced this week there will be no charges against the woman who shot and killed 41-year-old firefighter Anthony Santi on October 6, 2022, as he fought with her boyfriend over a gun.
KCMO reports that Santi was inside a convenience store in Independence, Missouri, when another customer, 23-year-old Ja’von Taylor, allegedly became “agitated” and went outside to retrieve a gun.
FOX4KC notes that Taylor was allegedly “cussing at a female employee” because the store lacked the type of cigars he liked.
The store clerk told Taylor to leave and Santi stepped in and told him to leave as well. At this point, FOX4KC reports “court documents show Taylor began threatening Santi.”
A fight between Taylor and Santi ensued, intensifying in the parking lot.
Yahoo News observes that Taylor “pulled out a gun, but the weapon fell during the scuffle.” Santi ended up on top of Taylor in a fight that may have lasted upwards of ten minutes.
Santi placing Taylor in a headlock at one point. A woman who was with Taylor picked up the gun, asked Santi to let him go, then shot Santi in the back, fatally wounding him.
Graphic Content 🚨⚠️ https://twitter.com/i/status/1582552334994796547
A Kansas City woman has been set free of charges tonight after protecting her boyfriend in a fight with a firefighter. The young lady seconds later killed the firefighter which has now been declared as self defense. ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/tuxV15oTC1
— KC Discover (@KcDiscover) October 19, 2022
The Kansas City Star reports that the woman faces no charges because of Missouri’s “stand your ground” law.
KMBC points out that Taylor “faces federal felony charges for possession of a firearm.” The Star noted that the charges are “for alleged possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.”
HomeBlack CommunityWoman Shoots Kansas City Firefighter In Controversial Viral Video Black CommunityCrimeLaw EnforcementOpinionSocial Woman Shoots Kansas City Firefighter In Controversial Viral Video Anthony Brian Logan (ABL) By Anthony Brian Logan (ABL) October 22, 2022 2 FacebookTwitterEmail
A video featuring an off-duty Kansas City, Missouri firefighter wrestling with another man outside a gas station has gone viral. However, the reason why the video went viral is not fully expressed within the 30-second-long video. The key here is how the fight actually came to an end. A woman wound up shooting and killing the firefighter. She was released from custody without any charges. The other man involved in the fight, however, is currently in jail.
To fully understand the situation, it is essential to get the full context. A man enters an Independence, Missouri gas station to buy a particular brand of cigars. The clerk informs the man that they don’t have that specific item. The man becomes enraged at the clerk and begins to berate her. The clerk eventually tells the man to leave, but he refuses. An off-duty firefighter is also in the gas station and joins the clerk in telling the man to leave. He still refuses. This exchange causes the firefighter and the man requesting cigars to get into an altercation that spills outside of the store.
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A KANSAS CITY WOMAN HAS BEEN SET FREE OF CHARGES TONIGHT AFTER PROTECTING HER BOYFRIEND IN A FIGHT WITH A FIREFIGHTER. THE YOUNG LADY SECONDS LATER KILLED THE FIREFIGHTER WHICH HAS NOW BEEN DECLARED AS SELF DEFENSE. ⚠️ PIC.TWITTER.COM/TUXV15OTC1
— KC Discover (@KcDiscover) October 19, 2022 The man goes to his parked car where his girlfriend and kids are and retrieves his gun. The firefighter wrestles with the man over the gun. The man who became irate in the store is losing this fight, badly. Eyewitnesses say the scuffle went on for at least ten minutes. The firefighter had the other man in a rear naked choke and never relinquished the dominant “top” position in the fight. Eventually, the man’s girlfriend exits the vehicle in an attempt to break up the fight. Shortly thereafter, the gun falls to the ground (according to eyewitness statements).
The girlfriend picks up the weapon and continues to try and break up the fight. She repeatedly warns the firefighter to get up. It is not clear if the firefighter can see that the gun is no longer in the man’s possession and that his girlfriend has it. In the short viral video, however, it is clear that she has it and that he looked square in her direction. The girlfriend eventually shoots the firefighter one time, in the back. He gets up and walks back to the store where he collapses and dies.
The boyfriend is in jail for a gun charge as he is a convicted felon without the right to bear arms. However, he does not face a murder charge because there does not appear to be enough evidence to implicate him in such a thing. The woman faces no charges because she could easily argue in court that all she saw was her boyfriend getting beaten nearly to death and she intervened to save his life, which is textbook self-defense.
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