Man shot by Missouri law officers Saturday had troubled past

A man killed by law enforcement officers late Saturday night in a dramatic confrontation on the bank of the Missouri River in Sugar Creek had previous run-ins with the law in at least six Missouri counties.

Jeremy James Sinclair, 42, had been in and out of prison since he was 24 for offenses ranging from drugs to manslaughter. He was on parole last June when he was involved in a six-hour standoff with authorities in Carroll County. A relative told a radio station that Sinclair was “going crazy” over the recent death of his mother.

That incident sent him back behind bars for four more months, but he was released again.

Then something triggered a confrontation about 10:40 p.m. Saturday with Ray County sheriff’s deputies. A chase led to Clay County, where the Missouri Highway Patrol took over the pursuit that ended — and ended Sinclair’s troubled life — about 11:50 p.m. in Jackson County.

“I just don’t recall him being a mean, nasty guy,” said criminal defense attorney Dan Ross, who represented Sinclair in a 2005 murder trial that was notable for a prosecution mistake that resulted in two guilty pleas to voluntary manslaughter.

Sinclair had seen the justice system up close as a defendant in courtrooms in Clay, Platte, Jackson, Greene, Carroll and Daviess counties. His prison record shows 25 disciplinary incidents involving controlled substances, disobeying orders, destroying property and other infractions, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Sinclair’s family was from Tina, Mo., in Carroll County, which had an estimated 2014 population of 154 people.

A cousin, Cassie Sinclair, said that in addition to Jeremy Sinclair’s mother dying last year, they had also recently lost their grandmother “who we were very close to.”

“He has a past, as most people already know about,” Cassie Sinclair said of her cousin. “He has made mistakes, and he has done time for them.”

In 2003, Sinclair found himself facing murder charges in two deaths that occurred in October 1997. Prosecutors contended that Sinclair broke into an apartment in the 4300 block of East Ninth Street about 5:30 a.m. and shot into the dark.

According to court records, investigators thought Sinclair’s intended target was a man sleeping in a garage below the apartment. That man told police Sinclair was angry with him over a botched drug deal.

Instead, 38-year-old Michael Beall and 34-year-old James Pearce were killed. Sinclair had been charged with murder in their deaths in 2000, but the case was dropped when a witness refused to cooperate. Charges were refiled when that witness had a change of mind. In a police interview in 1997, Sinclair denied involvement.

When the case came to trial in 2005, there was another problem. The strongest state witness placing Sinclair at the scene was a teenager who had trouble picking him out of a photo lineup. She then flipped over one of the photos and saw Sinclair’s name on the back.

She later identified Sinclair in a video lineup, but her credibility as a witness was tainted. When that became known at his trial, the judge tossed out her testimony. To salvage their case, prosecutors worked out a plea to voluntary manslaughter, and Sinclair was sentenced to five years with credit for time served. He was discharged two years later.

Sinclair stayed out of prison until 2011, when he was sent back for 15 years on drug charges. He was paroled in 2014, a few months before his mother died. Sinclair and two sisters were her heirs, according to court records.

The standoff in Tina occurred on June 16 last year. Sinclair last was released from prison on Oct. 8.

The Ray County sheriff’s deputies who were pursuing Sinclair on Saturday night learned that the vehicle he was driving had been reported stolen, according to Sgt. Bill Lowe, a spokesman for the Missouri Highway Patrol.

The pursuit ended up at La Benite Park in Sugar Creek, where Sinclair allegedly drove down the boat access ramp and partly submerged the vehicle into the Missouri River.

The Highway Patrol said Sinclair got out of the vehicle and tried to push it further into the water. The patrol said Sinclair failed to obey several commands and put his hands into his sweatshirt.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department was also on the scene.

Officers tried to negotiate with Sinclair for more than 30 minutes with his hands still concealed from view, the patrol said, adding that a bean bag was fired at Sinclair.

“The suspect was initially stunned by the round, but then turned toward the officers with a handgun and fired at the officers,” according to a statement from the patrol.

Officers from the Highway Patrol and one sheriff’s deputy returned fire. Sinclair died at the scene.

The Highway Patrol dive team recovered the vehicle and found some evidence, said Sgt. Collin Stosberg of the patrol. The case remains under investigation.

“It seemed that he was always looking for something,” Cassie Sinclair said of her cousin. “What that was I don’t know. I’m not sure that any of us really know.

“We come from a very close and supportive family who would do anything for anybody. But maybe he thought his problems were deeper than anybody was able to help with.”

This story was originally published February 1, 2016 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Man shot by Missouri law officers Saturday had troubled past."