KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Wednesday, prosecutors charged 34-year-old Sulif Wilkins with seven different felony charges for allegedly shooting at Overland Park police.
About 5:15 a.m. on Tuesday, police were sent to College Boulevard and Oakmont Street for an aggravated assault.
Police said they found Wilkins at a McDonald’s a few blocks away.
Victims told police Wilkins pointed a gun at them when they asked him to get off of their car.
When police arrived, they said Wilkins tried to rob someone, then fired at police.
KSHB 41's Abby Dodge looked into Wikins past and found some disturbing details.
In 2015, a 3-year-old boy was murdered in his bed after a drive-by shooting in Kansas City, Missouri.
Wilkins was charged with murder, but later pleaded guilty to second-degree involuntary manslaughter.
In relation to that case, federal prosecutors charged him with illegal possession of a firearm. Wilkins is not allowed to have a gun because he is a convicted felon.
The Bureau of Prisons released Wilkins nine years and three months into his 10 year sentence.
Wilkins was released on Friday. Four days later he was involved in the confrontation with Overland Park police.
KSHB 41 reached out to the Bureau of Prisons to understand why he was released.
The bureau sent its good conduct time policy, now referred to as the First Step Act. Adults in prison can earn up to 54 days per year for good conduct.
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed Wilkins was released under that policy.
Steve Leben, who is a former judge and current law professor at UMKC, weighed in on the First Step Act.
Leben said good conduct policies are needed to keep prisons running smoothly.
The country’s reentry programs need more work because most people will not spend their lives in prison, Leben said.
"For most people, our job is figuring out how can we give them an appropriate sentence and have them reenter society in a reasonable way when they come out," Leben said.
KSHB 41 asked Leben about the frustration from the community related to how quickly Wilkins allegedly committed a crime after his release, he offered perspective.
"I think we lose track when we talk about sentences," he said. "It’s only nine years. But nine years is quite a long time if you think about what you were doing nine years ago and what you are doing today."
Wilkins was in court Thursday afternoon for the first time since the alleged incident on Tuesday morning.
The court assigned Wilkins a public defender. His next hearing is Sept. 26.
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