KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Three men have been charged with various crimes in connection with the shots fired Saturday afternoon outside the funeral of homicide victim Anjanique Wright.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced the charges Sunday afternoon against Gary P. Jones Jr., Gerrad D. Rivera-Willis, and Zion Owsley.
Jones, 22, was charged with resisting a lawful stop; Rivera-Willis, 19, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest; and Owsley, 20, was charged with receiving stolen property and resisting arrest.
Kansas City, Missouri, police officers conducting surveillance during a Wright’s memorial service at Graceway Church on Blue Ridge Cutoff heard multiple gunshots.
Officers pursued a Nissan Altima, which sped away on East 55th St. at a high rate of speed. The pursuit reached speeds from 75 to 90 mph and included numerous traffic infractions, including running traffic signals and a hit-and-run collision.
Jones, who was driving, attempted to flee on foot after the vehicle finally stopped near Blue Parkway and Cleveland Ave.
He told officers he heard gunshots and stopped in the parking lot while leaving the funeral before someone in his car fired a weapon.
Rivera-Willis told police he was worried “someone in another vehicle might fire a gun at him,” so he “fired two or three shots” despite not seeing anyone else with a weapon.
Owsley also fled on foot after the car was stopped and was found attempting to conceal a weapon — which KCPD said was stolen from Overland Park, Kansas — in a bush.
Police said three weapons were recovered at the traffic stop.
Baker requested a $30,000 bond for Rivera-Willis and a $5,000 bond each for Jones and Owsley.
The shots-fired incident took place at a visitation and funeral for Wright, the 15-year-old who was shot and killed Feb. 12 outside Central Academy of Excellence following a disturbance while attending a girls’ basketball game.
Two people have been arrested and charged in connection with the case.
The alleged shooter — Jamya D. Norfleet, 21 — has been charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action and hindering prosecution.
Taylor McMillon, 18, who allegedly drove the get-away car for Norfleet, was charged with charged with accessory to second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and hindering prosecution.
