Alleged accomplice in Kansas City sideshow shooting pleads guilty to criminal charges
A 23-year-old man pleaded guilty Wednesday to criminal charges stemming from a Kansas City shooting last month where a family’s car was riddled with bullets while they were trying to bring a child having breathing problems to the hospital.
Noah D. Miller pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree assault and hindering prosecution, both felonies, prosecutors said Wednesday.
According to court records, the shooting unfolded in the early morning hours of June 12 on Interstate 70 near 13th Street after a family including two young children — ages 6 and 8 — was trying to pass through a so-called “sideshow,” where street racers gather to perform dangerous stunts, often on public streets.
Authorities say the family struck a car that was doing doughnuts in the middle of the highway while trying to pass. Then Miller and another man, identified by police as 23-year-old Nicholas Benkowich, began to chase after the car, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors say Miller, identified as the driver in court papers, chased after the vehicle as Benkowich allegedly fired a handgun from the passenger window. A passenger in the vehicle, a woman, was struck in the arm by gunfire, according to charging documents.
Kansas City patrol officers reported being in the area and witnessing the cars chase past them right before six or seven gunshots were heard. Officers responding to the area found the family vehicle, along with another, that had been struck by gunfire.
Witnesses on scene reported the shots came from a pair driving a Nissan 350Z, which had left the scene. After reviewing social media posts, including one account apparently dedicated to promoting Kansas City sideshows, investigators focused on Miller and Benkowich as suspects.
During a police interview, Miller allegedly described the events that night and admitted to chasing after the car. He also said Benkowich started shooting out of the window, against his advice, and that he pulled him back into the vehicle while telling him to stop.
Miller was sentenced Wednesday to one month in jail and five years of probation.
His attorney, Jeff Burmeister, declined to comment on the case.
Benkowich, the alleged shooter, faces charges of unlawful weapon use and armed criminal action, also felonies. He denied shooting at the car during the chase when interviewed by police.
As of Wednesday night, Benkowich was being held in Jackson County jail on a $50,000 bond.
