Man sentenced to 4 years in federal prison in deadly accidental shooting at KC Zoo
A 29-year-old Kansas City man was sentenced to four years in prison for possessing an illegal firearm that unintentionally fired killing another man at the Kansas City Zoo in 2020, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney’s office in Kansas City.
U.S. District Judge Greg Kays ordered Anthony R. Meneses to serve the time without the chance for parole. Meneses pleaded guilty in August to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The fatal shooting occurred as Meneses was sitting behind the driver’s seat of a car on Aug. 9, 2020, in a parking lot in the 6800 of Zoo Drive. He grabbed a Glock 9mm pistol from the back pocket of the driver’s seat and it accidentally fired, according to court documents.
The bullet traveled through the driver’s street, striking 19-year-old Jason Smith in the chest. Off-duty officers working at the zoo were told a man had collapsed in the parking lot. They quickly realized Smith had been shot and he was taken to a hospital where he later died.
Federal agents in Kansas City as part of Operation LeGend — a crime-fighting initiative named after 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro who was fatally shot in his sleep — assisted officers at the scene.
Meneses had prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle and burglary. Federal law prevents anyone convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition.
This story was originally published March 9, 2022 at 8:58 AM.
