Kansas City man charged in fatal domestic violence shooting of Staley High School teen
A Kansas City, North, man has been charged in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old Staley High School student during domestic violence over the weekend, according to court documents.
Clay County prosecutors have charged Steven Lester Woods with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
Police identified the teen killed in the shooting as Joseph Michael Bonacorso. His mother, who has not been identified, was also injured in the shooting.
The shooting was the second of two shootings over the weekend that injured Staley students. Two students were injured, one seriously, in a shooting late Friday at a QuickTrip near the school, Staley Principal Larry Smith said in an email sent home to parents.
In the statement, Smith informed parents of the fatal shooting of Bonacorso, which he stated was connected to domestic violence.
“This is a terrible loss, and these were awful tragedies that no family should ever have to navigate,” Smith said.
The school planned to have staff available for students who might need help processing the shootings.
The school, which has been in contact with local law enforcement throughout the weekend, also planned to have increased security presence at the school.
Deadly shooting
Police responded to reports of the sound of gunfire shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday at a home in the 1300 block of Northeast 119th Terrace in Kansas City, North. While officers were en route, the call was updated to a shooting.
According to court documents, arriving officers found a woman, who was identified as Victim No. 2, outside the home who was yelling that she needed help for her son who was inside.
As officers approached the opened garage door to enter, a man, later identified as Woods, came out of the house with his hands up. He allegedly told officers that Bonacorso had come at him with a knife, according to court documents. Woods was taken into custody.
The female victim was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. Officers found Bonacorso, who was identified in court documents as Victim No. 1, in a hallway and medical personnel pronounced him deceased. Next to him, police found a folding knife, according to court documents.
When questioned by police, the female said she and Woods are married and their marriage has had a history of verbal abuse.
Prior to the shooting, she said they had been at a pool party for most of the day. While she drove them home, she noticed Woods texting another woman. When they arrived home, she confronted him and Woods told her get out of the house.
The victim told police that as she was gathering her belongings, she saw his phone was unlocked. She picked it up and locked herself in a hallway bathroom. Woods allegedly broke the bathroom door in half and grabbed the victim. Then he allegedly repeatedly threw her into the bathtub, yelling for her to get out of the house, according to court documents.
Meanwhile, another person in the house, who was identified in the court documents as a Victim No. 3, said she tried to intervene, but said Woods came at her. She said she barricaded herself in her room, but Woods broke through her door and punched her TV.
She told police that she called Bonacorso because “she was in fear for her life and she needed him to come to protect her” and his mom, according to court documents.
When Bonacorso arrived with some friends, Woods ran into his room and shut the door. Bonacorso yelled for his mom and the other female victim to leave with him, according to the female victim.
Woods allegedly opened the bedroom door and then began firing at Bonacorso, the victim told police.
Bonacorso’s mom told police that at the time of the shooting, he was not in a physical alteration with Woods. She also said she didn’t see her son with a weapon.
She said her son had pounded on the master bedroom door and she was standing alongside him outside the other female victim’s bedroom when Woods allegedly opened the door and began shooting her son, according to court documents.
Bonacorso’s mom was also hit by gunfire, and she laid on top of her son after he was shot to protect him. She said she fled the house after Woods kept trying to push her off her son.
When she tried to enter the home to check on her son, she heard a loud blast, but told police she was was unaware that she had been hit by a shotgun round.
Woods was taken to police headquarters where he was questioned by a detective. He allegedly admitted to be being involved with another woman and said that he had been texting her on the way home from the pool party. When he got home, he told the detective he went to bed and fell asleep.
He told the detective that he woke as his wife took his phone from him and followed her as she retreated to a hallway bathroom, according to court documents. Woods allegedly said he “kicked in” the door and may have shoved her to get his phone back, but said he didn’t harm her.
Then, the other female victim began shouting at him and told him she was going to call police. Woods said he told her to leave the house with his wife.
Woods allegedly told detectives that he locked himself in his bedroom and waited for police. A few minutes later, Bonacorso arrived and began yelling, Woods told police.
Woods grabbed a firearm and exited the room. He told detectives that he shot Bonacorso after he raised a knife. After his wife fled from the house, he said he grabbed a shotgun from his bedroom, positioned himself at the top of the front stairs and aimed the weapon at the front door.
He said he was afraid Bonacorso’s family would arrive before police, so he claimed he wanted to defend himself. According to court documents, Woods had shot Bonacorso’s father in 2016 in what was then determined to be self-defense.
As he waited for police, Woods told detectives the shotgun had an “accidental discharge” as he fumbled with the safety. He surrendered when police arrived.
The fatal shooting was caught on a recording of a phone call to another person Victim No. 3 had made at the time the altercation began.
Bonacorso can be heard on the recording asking Woods, “Are you going to shoot me like you did my dad?”
A muffled and inaudible voice is heard followed by Bonacorso saying several times, “Shoot me.”
The recording captured six gunshots following immediately after.
Woods appeared in Clay County court Monday afternoon, according to court records. He was being held in Clay County jail on a $1 million bond.
Here’s a list of domestic violence resources in the Kansas City area if you or someone you love is facing a domestic violence situation.
This story was originally published September 25, 2023 at 4:27 PM.
