Teen charged with felonies, accused of assaulting officers in Johnson County mall shooting
A 19-year-old Kansas City, Kan., man has been charged with assaulting police officers during a struggle where a gun was fired inside Oak Park Mall in Overland Park over the weekend.
The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office has charged Nery Alberto Gonzalez-Munoz with two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and one count each of inference with law enforcement/fleeing and aggravated endangerment of a child, all felonies.
He has also been charged with misdemeanor counts of battery on a police officer, carrying a concealed weapon, theft and unlawful discharge of a firearm.
The charges stem from an alleged shoplifting incident at Macy’s in the mall. At about 4:20 p.m. Sunday, three detectives tried to stop Gonzalez-Munoz and another man near the food court for allegedly shoplifting.
As officers tried to arrest Gonzalez-Munoz, a struggle ensued. At one point, Gonzalez-Munoz got a hold of a detective’s gun and fired one shot, police said.
No one was hit by the gunfire, but it sent customers running and ducking for cover. The other suspect ran from the mall and was arrested nearby.
The charges allege that Gonzalez-Munoz assaulted two of the officers with a deadly weapon during the arrest and came in physical contact with one of them in a “rude, insulting or angry manner,” according to court documents.
The charges also allege he placed a child under the age of 18 in danger. Gonzalez-Munoz allegedly took items less than $1,500 of value from Macy’s.
His bond has been set at $1 million. Gonzalez-Munoz, who turned 19 years old last week, made his first appearance Tuesday afternoon in Johnson County District Court and requested that his bond be reduced.
Magistrate Judge John McEntee denied the request saying that bond was set because of the public safety risk. While the alleged theft was low, it could have turned into the death of one or more people, he said.
The incident on Sunday was the second time in two days where gunfire erupted in a Kansas City metro area mall.
Jackson County prosecutors have charged 21-year-old MarkAnthony Greer of Independence with six felonies in a Friday afternoon shooting at the Independence Center mall. Four people were injured in the shooting, including a pregnant woman who was put on life support.
This story was originally published November 14, 2023 at 11:35 AM.
