Jury convicts Shawnee man for shooting at Independence police during car chase
A jury convicted a Shawnee man Monday for shooting at Independence police while fleeing from them, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced.
James Gant, 25, was convicted of shooting at or from a moving vehicle, two counts of second-degree assault and three counts of armed criminal action for shooting at officers during a police chase in October near Interstate 70 and Interstate 435. Neither of the officers were injured and their vehicle was not hit.
County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said she was pleased with the jury’s outcome and commended officers for bringing the incident to a close without firing back. Her office, she said, will push for a prison sentence that matches the damages caused.
“This case should be a testimonial that our community and my office will not stand idle while police officers’ lives are placed at risk,” Baker said in a news release.
Two men were also previously charged with unlawful use of a weapon for their alleged involvement in the incident. Kammron C. Tucker, 27, is also charged with three counts of armed criminal action and two counts of second-degree assault, and 23-year-old Zabdiel B. Caballero-Ochoa is charged with resisting arrest, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Tucker and Caballero-Ochoa are awaiting trial.
The chase started around 10:30 a.m. when officers saw a vehicle they believed was involved in an armed disturbance in the 1200 block of South Franklin Drive, according to the Independence Police Department.
Kansas City police responded to the area of I-70 and I-435 to assist Independence officers after individuals inside the vehicle had allegedly fired shots at the officers, according to court documents.
Detectives reviewed surveillance video that allegedly showed gunfire from the suspect vehicle directed at the officers. The suspect vehicle allegedly reached 100 mph during the chase before it stopped at the on-ramp to I-435 Northbound from U.S. 40 Highway.
Police took three suspects into custody who fled on foot, according to court records. Caballero-Ochoa, who had been driving, was arrested at the vehicle.
One of the suspects, who was arrested with a handgun that had been reported stolen, was a juvenile, according to court records.
A 9mm Taurus handgun was recovered outside the suspect vehicle, and an area canvass found three spent 9mm shell casings, a live round and an additional 9mm handgun, according to court records.
Six 9mm shell casings and one live round were found in the suspect vehicle, and an additional firearm had been thrown from the vehicle.
Gant will be sentenced at 9 a.m. on June 23.
