Missouri woman won’t face charges after killing off-duty firefighter, 41, who was choking her boyfriend, 23, during a brawl – she screamed that he stop to no avail, then grabbed her man’s gun and shot the fireman, as prosecutors say she acted in ‘self-defense’
Missouri woman shot and killed a man fighting with her boyfriend is saved from facing charges after it’s ruled ‘self-defense’
Jackson County prosecutors said ‘Missouri law governs this case, specifically self-defense and defense of others, leading us to decline charges after a careful review.’
Burly fireman Anthony Santi, 41, was shot and killed on October 6 outside a gas station in Independence, a suburb of Kansas City as held a younger slightly built adversary, Ja’Von L. Taylor, 23, in a chokehold when the got into a brawl
Santi was off duty at the time, but stepped in to assist the gas station cashier after Taylor became aggressive
Santi and Taylor began fighting, and the conflict continued outside, with the two men brawling and rolling around on the ground
Taylor an ex-con, handed his gun to his girlfriend
Taylor’s girlfriend screamed at Santi to release him, and when Santi put Taylor in a headlock she yelled: ‘You’re killing him!’
She opened fire, and Santi died at the scene
Missouri is a Stand Your Ground state, meaning that you are not required by law to retreat before using defensive force
Prosecutors Tuesday decided that under the state ‘Stand Your ground’ rules, the unnamed woman was within her rights to act how she did
Federal prosecutors charged Ja’Von L. Taylor with being a felon in possession of a firearm
A woman in Kansas City who shot and killed an off-duty firefighter who was brawling on the ground with her boyfriend will not face charges, prosecutors in Missouri announced.
Anthony ‘Tony’ Santi, 41, died on October 6 outside a gas station and liquor store in Independence, a suburb of Kansas City.
Santi was shot in the back by an unnamed woman while wrestling her boyfriend, Ja’Von L. Taylor, 23, at around 2:30pm.
This video convinced Jackson Count prosecutor’s office that the woman won’t be charged in shooting death of Kansas City firefighter
On Tuesday, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced that the woman would not be facing charges, after concluding that her actions were indeed reasonable.
Authorities apparently found that they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the woman acted outside Missouri self-defense laws when she shot and killed Santi.
‘We grieve with the family and community over this tragic loss of life of Mr Santi,’ the prosecutor’s office wrote in a statement.
‘Missouri law governs this case, specifically self-defense and defense of others, leading us to decline charges after a careful review.’
In the state of Missouri, people can use guns as self defense if they reasonably believe that deadly force is necessary to defend themselves or others.
Missouri is also a Stand Your Ground state – meaning that you are not required by law to retreat before using defensive force.
Kevin Jamison, author of Missouri Weapons and Self-Defense Law, said: ‘Technically it’s called the defense of justification and your justification is you are saving the life of another person.
Under these rules, prosecutors decided that the unnamed woman was within her rights to act how she did on the fateful day.
The fatal incident started when the woman’s boyfriend entered a gas station to buy cigars.
Taylor became angry when the clerk in the gas station said she did not have the product he wanted. She then asked him to leave.
Santi, who was off-duty and in the store at the time, stepped in to help the cashier, and asked Taylor to leave.
The pair began scuffling, and the fight continued outside. In the forecourt, the two men were on the ground fighting.
Footage shot by a bystander shows Santi, who is white, overpowering Taylor, a slender black man, who squirms on the floor.
Taylor’s girlfriend appears and can be seen in the footage screaming: ‘Stop!’
The boyfriend then hands her a gun in his pocket, and she takes the weapon.
Taylor, a convicted felon found guilty of armed robbery in May 2019, was barred from possessing a gun.
‘Stop!’ she screams at Santi, as he tried to put Taylor in a head lock. ‘Let him go! My kids are in the car! You’re killing him!’
The woman then opens fire, shooting Santi in the back and fatally-injuring him.
Meanwhile Federal prosecutors filed the charge against Ja’Von L. Taylor, 23, in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City in connection with the fatal shooting. He was charged in federal court Friday with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
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