Man faces charges in fatal Sept. 16 shooting in Kansas City, Missouri

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced Wednesday a man has been charged in connection with a shooting earlier this month that left one person dead.

27-year-old Alejandro Guillen-Molina, who is homeless, is charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of armed criminal action, according to court documents.

The shooting occurred the night of Sept. 16 near East 14th Street and Askew Avenue.

The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department was called around 8:20 p.m. to a grassy lot in the area.

Responding officers found a shooting victim, later identified as James Heberling, 34, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

A witness told police about a location Guillen-Molina frequented, and officers located a party matching his description while conducting surveillance.

When police stopped him for a pedestrian check, he dropped a long gun on the steps of a residence on Benton Boulevard and was taken into custody. Police also found a black semi-automatic handgun on a retaining wall nearby, per court documents.

Detectives spoke with a witness who said Guillen-Molina came up to a group of four people, including the victim and the witness, and started accusing them of stealing his bikes.

The witness said she was standing at the intersection of 14th Street and Askew Avenue when she heard five shots and then one more as she approached the shooting area. She told police she saw Guillen-Molina standing over Heberling with a black handgun — he then chased her as she ran for help.

During a warranted search of the crime scene, police found two 9mm shell casings, one spent bullet and 11 rounds of 9mm ammunition. A search of the area where Guillen-Molina was arrested resulted in police locating a Savage 12-gauge shotgun and a Derya 9x19 semi-automatic handgun with nine live rounds in the magazine. There were also three live rounds in a wagon that Guillen-Molina was pulling at the time, court documents said.

Guillen-Molina told detectives the guns were not his, but he said he did handle both of them when he found them on Benton Boulevard. He also denied any involvement in the shooting and being at the location of the crime that night.

Guillen-Molina is being held at the Jackson County Detention Center on a $200,000 cash-only bond. He is also on an additional hold for United States Immigration.

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