Kansas City man, 21, charged in shooting death of employee at Belton car dealership
A Kansas City man has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a car dealership employee in Belton.
The Cass County Prosecutor’s Office has also charged the man, Edward Cornejo-Juarez, 21, with armed criminal action in connection with the death of 28-year-old Kyle Wanner, who worked at the Show Me Auto Mall.
According to charging documents, employees recalled seeing an unknown man walk into the auto shop at 1421 E. North Ave. before 10:45 a.m. April 16.
Surveillance video obtained by Belton police appeared to show the man conversing with Wanner and both exiting the building moments before the shooting, court records stated.
At least one of the employees told police he heard a gunshot, the sound of someone screaming and then another gunshot.
The witness said the man walked back inside, sat down on the floor for a while before placing a handgun and holster on the service counter and exiting the business.
The witness told police he called 911 after he found Wanner lying on the ground. The victim was soon pronounced dead.
Belton police found the alleged gunman outside the car dealership and took him into custody.
In an interview with police, Cornejo-Juarez claimed he had bought the business and said he stopped by to visit the shop when he got into a fight with a man he didn’t know. He told police he pulled out his gun and fired because he felt scared and thought the man “was going to come at him,” court records said. It’s unclear what led to the confrontation.
Cornejo-Juarez also told police he had smoked what he thought was “synthetic marijuana” and was “tripping” that morning before going to the shop.
Charges were filed on April 17 against Cornejo-Juarez, who remains in the Cass County jail with bond set at $250,000 cash.
An attorney has not yet been listed for Cornejo-Juarez. The public defender’s office has been appointed to represent the defendant, according to online court records.
In a statement on Facebook, Show Me Auto Mall in Belton said it was cooperating with police in the homicide investigation and confirmed the victim was an employee.
“As many of you know, we lost a member of the Show Me Auto Mall team today in a senseless act of violence,” it stated. “We mourn the loss of the member of our team and grieve for the family who lost a loved one.”
