Manslaughter charges filed in death of teen who was shot at friend’s house in Independence
A 19-year-old has been charged in the killing of a teenager who authorities believe was accidentally shot in the living room of an Independence home last weekend.
Elijah L. Soliz, of Independence, was charged Friday with first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the death of the other teenager, whose identity has been withheld by authorities because he is under 18 years of age.
Independence police were dispatched around 7 p.m. to the 600 block of North Westwood on Dec. 11 after receiving reports of a shooting. Arriving officers found several people standing outside of a residence as emergency medical personnel treated the victim, a detective wrote in a probable-cause statement seeking criminal charges.
The victim was taken to an area hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. He died there roughly four hours later.
Two witnesses told police they were in the downstairs part of the residence when a single gunshot was heard from above. One described running upstairs to the living room to see the victim on the floor with blood coming from his head, and dialed 911. Another reported being in the living room while playing on a cell phone before hearing the gunshot, looking up and seeing the other teen had been injured.
Court records state that Soliz told an officer that he and others were “messing with the gun” when the victim was shot in the head accidentally. He described the victim as his best friend when speaking to authorities, saying the gun belonged to another friend.
Another juvenile witness was interviewed by police four days later. During the interview, the witness told police that another person in the room had been playing with the gun prior to the shooting. Soliz at one point aimed the pistol at the victim and was messing with the hammer and when his thumb slipped and the pistol fired.
The same witness told police he did not believe the shooting was intentional.
Police searched the residence and found two pistols and a rifle. They also found a single spent .22 caliber shell casing.
If convicted, Soliz faces between three and 10 years in Missouri prison on each felony charge. He is currently being held in Jackson County jail on $25,000 bond.
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 8:16 PM.
