KC man who allegedly used 6-year-old girl as human shield charged with assault
A 37-year-old man who allegedly used a 6-year-old girl he’s related to as a human shield after firing a gun at police officers has been charged with assault, according to a news release.
The Jackson County Prosecutor has charged Willie T. Wren with two counts of first-degree assault on police officers and two counts of armed criminal action, as well as one count each of unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a weapon.
More charges are expected related to the abuse of the girl, Kansas City police said on Twitter. The investigation continues.
According to court documents, Kansas City police responded to a reported disturbance about 9:20 p.m. Sunday in the 3300 block of East 60th Street. Callers reported that a man was dragging a child back and forth in the street as the child was crying out for help, according to court documents.
While police were en route, a caller said that the man took the child back into a house, but the caller could still hear the child yelling. Arriving officers found a trial of blood on the front porch leading to front door.
When officers knocked on the door, it opened revealing more blood inside the residence. The officers entered the home to check for possible victims. After announcing that they were police officers, the girl yelled for help from upstairs, according to court documents.
Officers went upstairs, where they encountered Wren standing in the doorway of a room. One of the officers fired a Taser at Wren. When Wren allegedly raised a gun at the officers, the officers retreated behind a wall. Wren allegedly fired a shot, according to court documents.
Because they deemed the child was in danger, officers decided to take Wren into custody. As they rounded the corner they saw him holding the girl up as a human shield, blocking his upper body and head, according to court documents.
When police grabbed Wren, he allegedly resisted arrest. One officer, as a result of the scuffle, fell down the stairs, injuring his arm.
The girl was uninjured, police said, and the blood appears to have come from the relative prior to police arrival.
When questioned by police, Wren denied being out in the street dragging the girl. He said he had been upstairs when the girl told him she heard someone downstairs. When Wren heard the voices too, he said he grabbed a gun and fired a “warning shot” into the ground towards the stairs.
According to the court documents, Wren said that when he heard the radios he realized it was police and threw his gun onto the ground and slid it towards the officers. He then got down and was taken into custody by police, he said.
Gun violence is the subject of a statewide journalism project The Star is undertaking in Missouri this year in partnership with the national service program Report for America and sponsored in part by Missouri Foundation for Health. As part of this project, The Star will seek the community’s help.
To contribute, visit Report for America online at reportforamerica.org.
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 8:34 AM.
