Men convicted in gang-related shooting at KC’s Crown Center get lengthy prison sentences
Two men accused of sparking a flurry of gang-related gunfire at Kansas City’s Crown Center that left multiple people injured and patrons scrambling for cover in January have both been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Joel Olivas, 24, and Brian Favela, 23, both of Kansas City, were sentenced Thursday in Jackson County Circuit Court after they were found guilty of felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action as well as misdemeanor counts of second-degree harassment. Both men waived their right to a jury trial, and a judge heard their cases in a bench trial that concluded Nov. 1.
Officials alleged the two men caused the Jan. 17 shootout at the mall that resulted in more than 50 shots fired and injuries to six people, including three innocent bystanders who weren’t associated with the shooting. They said at least 20 people, including a father and a toddler, were caught in the path of the gunfire but were not hit in the shooting, which police linked to a feud between gangs.
During the sentencing hearing, assistant prosecuting attorney Dion Sankar said the two men, who were armed, chose to escalate a confrontation with three men who had links to a rival gang.
“They were more than willing to shoot it out in a space with innocent people,” he said.
“More broadly, this incident, among others, shook the stability and the public’s confidence in remaining free from random gun violence in one of the more populated and popular public spaces in this city,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum ahead of the hearing.
Favela said he refused to let his incarceration determine who he was and said he hoped to find future success and set an example for his family. “By the grace of God, the situation did not turn out worse than it did,” he said.
Olivas offered remorse and apologized to those caught up in the gunfire that day. “This is not something I will do ever again,” he said.
One witness told police she heard two groups yelling “east side” and “west side” before the shooting began. Police reviewed surveillance video and determined those involved were associated with two groups “who engage in an ongoing pattern of violent activity in the metro area,” according to court documents.
Olivas and Favela entered the mall and accosted three men from a “rival neighborhood” and escalated their interactions, prosecutors said. Eventually, one of the other men drew a gun and fired, and Olivas and Favela pulled their weapons and fired back.
A security guard attempted to intercede, and Olivas and Favela fled.
One victim, an employee of a store inside Crown Center, was shot in the leg as she waited for food. Another was on a double date when she was shot in the leg.
Another victim, who was in the area taking video and pictures for a project highlighting why people should visit Kansas City, was hit in his thigh and still suffers from the injury, prosecutors wrote in the sentencing memorandum.
‘Picking and choosing who they hold responsible’
Defense attorneys for both men noted that it was one of the three men who Olivas and Fevela had approached who fired the first shot and said they fired back in self-defense. That man has not been charged, so The Star is not naming him.
“There’s no question why the gunfire started and who started it,” said Molly Hastings, who represented Favela.
“The state is picking and choosing who they hold responsible,” she said.
Keithley Lake, who represented Olivas, said there was an “open and shut” case to be made against that man.
“If I was Crown Center management, I would be up in arms,” he said.
Speaking with The Star, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said that man has not been charged “to this point,” but said it was possible additional charges could come of the incident.
“Today, though, was about Favela and Olivas,” she said. “Their conduct stands on its own. You don’t get yourself in a gun battle, you do not go seeking one. You don’t go find a victim shopping at Crown Center and then claim victimization later.”
Baker said the case was a difficult one under Missouri self-defense laws,but said she hoped there would be deterrent value in an 18year sentence.
“That’s what we’re primarily hoping for,” she said, “is that we can curb this kind of behavior from happening other places.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2024 at 4:27 PM.
