By Savannah Hawley-Bates – Kansas News Service
Jackson County’s Office of the Juvenile Officer charged two people under 18 with gun charges and resisting arrest on Thursday, in connection with the shooting at the end of the Chiefs parade and rally at Union Station.
They are not charged in adult court because the two are juveniles — which also means officials are not releasing their names.
The pair are charged with gun-related and resisting arrest charges. According to the release, additional charges will likely be filed in the future as the Kansas City Police Department continues to investigate the shooting.
They are being held in secure detention.
KCPD Chief Stacey Graves said she was grateful for the charges against the “juveniles who hurt innocent people, simultaneously scarring an entire community.”
“Our investigators have poured themselves into this investigation, and it continues,” Graves said in a statement. “We will not relent until everyone who may have played a part in these crimes is apprehended so that they may be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said her office coordinated with the juvenile court on the charges and will continue to support the Kansas City Police Department on the investigation.
“We expect to be at future hearings regarding these individuals who were charged today in Family Court,” Baker said in a statement. “We will continue to work closely with all authorities as the investigation continues. We are grateful for the collaboration and partnership with these juvenile officers.”
In a statement on X, Mayor Quinton Lucas thanked law enforcement for bringing charges against the minors.
I thank law enforcement, juvenile court officers, and the Jackson County Prosecutor for bringing a first set of charges of two minors involved in Wednesday’s mass shooting. I know more investigation and potentially further charges are ahead as we pursue justice for all impacted.
— Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) February 16, 2024
Police believe the shooting occurred because of a dispute, and not because of terrorism or extremism.
One person, local KKFI radio DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan, was killed. An additional 22 people were injured, and though many have been released from the hospital, three are still in critical condition.
Of the shooting victims, nine were children. And several other people were injured and treated at local hospitals from injuries stemming from the chaos at Union Station after the shooting.
Another man, Jose Castillo, has been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm — a class D felony that could carry a sentence of up to seven years in prison.
Castillo, who was near Union Station when shots were fired, allegedly picked up a handgun dropped by one of the people fighting at the Chiefs rally when shots broke out. According to charging documents, Castillo took a Glock 22 handgun and threw it down when he was ordered to the ground.
Upon his arrest, Castillo stated that he “thought the firearm might have belonged to an officer” and was going to give it to the KCPD but was taken into custody. He said he walked away from the area when shots rang out, initially believing they were fireworks, but headed back when he saw the gun on the ground.
Castillo is currently in the Jackson County Detention Center, where he remains on a $25,000 bond. He made his initial appearance Friday at 1:30 p.m.
Speaking on a radio talk show Thursday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson — who was at Union Station with his wife when the shooting occurred but escaped safely — blamed the shooting on “thugs and criminals.”
“It’s just sad,” Parson said. “I was there yesterday. I feel for these parents, these kids, everything that went on, it was such a wonderful day and then all of a sudden you end with that.”
Numerous Kansas City leaders and area lawmakers have called for action on gun safety in the wake of the shooting. However, Missouri law prevents local governments from passing gun legislation.
As of Friday morning, Kansas City, Missouri, Police had logged 15 homicides, including the death at Union Station. Last year, Kansas City set a record for homicides, at 185.
