Man was shot confronting someone breaking into SUV in KC. Suspect charged with murder
A Kansas City man has been charged with felony murder and a host of other charges in connection with a vehicle break-in and shooting that left a man dead as well as a carjacking reported in November, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday.
Malcolm P. Weston, 25, was arrested and charged after Ricardo Ortiz, 51, was found with a gunshot wound to the leg on Nov. 13. Ortiz later died at a hospital.
Ortiz was walking his dog before 7 a.m. in the area of Linwood Boulevard and Charlotte Street in Kansas City before he was shot and killed, prosecutors said.
At the time, Kansas City police said it appeared Ortiz had confronted someone who was attempting to break into or steal his vehicle. The victim’s vehicle, a Chevrolet Suburban, was found parked in the street outside his home with the rear driver’s side window shattered. The steering column on the SUV appeared to be tampered with or broken.
Ortiz’s wife told police that before the shooting, Ortiz had called her and said he was following someone who had just broken into his vehicle, according to charging documents.
Police obtained surveillance video from homes and businesses in the area that allegedly showed the suspect, who was later identified as Weston, court records stated.
Weston was taken into custody eight days after the killing and booked into the Jackson County jail. He declined to speak with police earlier this month and requested an attorney.
When he was arrested, Weston was charged initially with first-degree robbery, armed criminal action, tampering with a vehicle, resisting arrest and unlawful possession of a firearm for a separate carjacking incident. The prosecutor’s office said Tuesday that Weston is also charged with felony murder in the second degree, two counts of armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and property damage in connection to the Nov. 13 shooting.
Court records note Weston was on probation in two separate cases at the time of the homicide.
Weston’s attorney could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday evening.
This story was originally published January 21, 2020 at 7:11 PM.
