KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office used Blair’s Law to charge a Kansas City, Missouri, man with shooting into the air at the 18th and Vine District.
Leonard Holman Jr., 24, is charged with the unlawful discharge of a firearm (Blair’s Law) and resisting arrest.
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Around 2 a.m. Sunday, officers were present near the intersection of 19th and Vine, where one person was killed and five others were injured, when multiple people ran from the area due to the sound of gunshots.
Police said they saw Holman holding a black Glock 17 Gen5 9mm semi-automatic pistol with a 31-round extended magazine. Officers said they also saw him discharge multiple rounds into the air, per court documents.
When officers told Holman to drop the pistol and get on the ground, he fled the scene on foot.
Officers followed as Holman ran through an alley for about two blocks, stopping near East 17th Street to attempt to carjack a white four-door sedan.
Court documents stated Holman yelled for the occupants to get out before deciding to hop in the back of a Ford F150 pickup truck instead.
Holman attempted to conceal himself by lying down in the truck, but officers quickly stopped the vehicle and took him into custody.
The firearm was located in the back of the truck.
While in custody, detectives noted Holman spontaneously blurted out, “I was shooting in the air to protect myself … that was it.”
Holman also reportedly said he “wasn’t shooting at nobody … I shot in the air.”
However, once at KCPD's Metro Patrol station, he refused to exit his cell to speak with detectives.
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Traffic cameras at the intersection of 19th and Vine captured the incident, including Holman shooting in the air “multiple times.”
In the probable cause statement of the incident, detectives said Holman presents a “clear danger” to the city, county and “community at large."
Holman is being held at the Jackson County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond.
His first court appearance is set for July 29.
Police said Holman's involvement in the homicide and assaults in the area remains under investigation.
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