KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City, Missouri, man has pleaded guilty for illegally possessing a fully automatic gun that was used in the fatal shooting of a Kansas City firefighter.
Ja’Von L. Taylor, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a fully automated gun.
Taylor was in possession of a Glock .40-caliber handgun, which had been converted to a fully automatic gun.
He has a prior conviction for armed robbery and prosecutors claimed he was not allowed to possess a firearm.
The gun was used in the death of Kansas City, Missouri, firefighter, Anthony Santi, who was killed while off-duty while at a convenience store at U.S. 40 and Sterling Avenue in Independence in October 2022. Santi had been with the Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department, since 2011.
Officers searched Taylor’s vehicle and found the gun, a broken extended magazine, and a 15-round magazine. Taylor told investigators that he bought the gun from a man off the street a few months ago for $500.
According to an affidavit, Santi was at the store delivering items, when he noticed a man arguing with a store clerk.
The store clerk had asked the man to leave, but he and the woman with him refused.
Shortly after, Santi asked the man to leave and the confrontation ensued, eventually making its way outside the store. During the a scuffle, a woman shot Santi in the back.
The woman who used it, was not charged in Santi's death as Jackson County prosecutors cited self-defense.
Taylor was charged for illegal possession of the weapon back in October, 2022.
Under federal law, Taylor could be subject to up to 25 years in federal prison without parole for possessing a fully-automated gun.
