KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County prosecutors filed charges Friday against a 20-year-old South Kansas City, Missouri, man in connection with a road rage shooting earlier this month that left a 19-year-old woman in critical condition.
Around 12:30 a.m. on May 4, Kansas City police officers were dispatched to the area of U.S. 71 Highway and E. 31st Street after the department’s ShotSpotter system recorded the sound of gunfire in the area.
As they responded, a separate call came into 911 dispatchers reporting a shooting. Police eventually located a shooting victim, later identified by family as 19-year-old JayLee Gross, in the passenger seat of a 2021 Kia K5, suffering from a gunshot wound to her head.
According to court documents, the driver of the Kia told police that he and Gross had just helped a friend fix a flat tire on the highway and were attempting to get back on to northbound 71 to go home. The driver told police that as he attempted to merge, he could not get on the highway without pulling out in front of a dark-colored Ford Fusion.
The driver told police the Ford started to drive aggressively, getting back in front of the Kia and brake-checking it. After exchanging words, the driver of the Ford took an exit ramp from the highway. As the car was exiting, the driver of the Kia told police he heard the sound of several gunshots and glass shattering.
Court documents reveal that the driver of the Kia turned to ask Gross if she was OK, and that’s when he noticed she was unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound to her head.
Using city traffic cameras and vehicle VIN databases, detectives eventually identified the driver of the Ford Fusion as Jamahn Tatum.
After gathering evidence and conducting surveillance, KCPD gang squad detectives arrested Tatum on Thursday, May 14, and brought him in for questioning.
During the interview, Tatum admitted to owning a Ford Fusion but initially denied involvement in the shooting. As police revealed they had tracked his car at the scene, court documents state, “Tatum stared off for a moment before taking a deep breath and sitting back in his chair. After a brief moment, Tatum then asked, ‘What are we looking at right here? Deadass bro, this s*** for real, for real is self-defense.”
Tatum eventually admitted to firing the shots toward the other vehicle, repeating his claim of self-defense, saying that if the driver of the victim’s vehicle knew how to drive, “none of this s*** would have happened, I promise you.”
When police asked Tatum why he didn’t contact police, he told them he didn’t think it was serious until he read about the incident the next day and saw that Gross was in critical condition. Police then asked Tatum why he didn’t contact police once he found out how serious it was, to which Tatum said he was scared. Tatum told detectives that he felt bad for the victim, but reiterated he felt he was antagonized by the victim’s driving.
On Friday, prosecutors charged Tatum with first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon by shooting at a vehicle resulting in injury.
Tatum remains in custody at the Jackson County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond.
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