KC man is charged with meth trafficking after officers kill another man in standoff
Federal prosecutors have filed drug trafficking charges against a 25-year-old Kansas City man arrested at the scene of a police standoff Wednesday morning that left another man dead.
Michael J. Wilkins was the primary target of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration task force involved in a four-hour standoff Wednesday morning at a home in the 3500 block of Bellefontaine Avenue.
On Thursday, federal prosecutors charged Wilkins with possessing about 5 kilos of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
Kansas City police on Thursday released the name of a man shot to death by officers during the standoff. Carlos Garcia, 43, died in a shootout with police at the home after Wilkins was arrested outside.
Before the standoff, a task force member saw Wilkins leave a home near Gregory Boulevard and the Paseo driving a 1995 red Ford Mustang, according to court records. The agent followed Wilkins and saw him carry a black bag into the home on Bellefontaine and then leave with the bag and a large white box.
Wilkins put the items in the front seat of the Mustang and then ran from task force members who approached him. When officers searched the car, they reportedly found a handgun, a backpack containing more than $12,000 in cash and a Corona beer box with five gallon-size plastic bags of methamphetamine. The officers also allegedly found a tool box containing methamphetamine.
While officers chased Wilkins, another group of agents tried to serve a search warrant at the house. They were confronted by Garcia, who fired several shots at them, according to prosecutors.
The agents backed out of the house, and a four-hour standoff ensued.
Hours later, Garcia ran out a back door, aiming a rifle at police. Officers, “fearing for their safety,” fired a volley of shots, according to police.
The man fell on his weapon outside the home. That delayed police from reaching him to see if he was still alive.
Police used a nozzle from an armored vehicle to hold him down until they could find a safe way to approach him. About 8:30 a.m., they reported he was dead.
Two people were inside the home when the incident began: Garcia and a woman who surrendered to police.
Wilkins’ 16-year-old brother, Tyler Wilkins, was shot and killed by Kansas City police in 2013 after pulling a handgun on patrol officers who tried to stop him for questioning in the area of Smart and Wheeling avenues.
Wilkins faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. He has spent time in Missouri prisons after being convicted of unlawful use of a weapon and vehicle theft.
This story was originally published June 9, 2016 at 8:10 PM with the headline "KC man is charged with meth trafficking after officers kill another man in standoff."