KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man who took part in an attempted robbery is charged with murder after the intended victim shot and killed a second man who tried to take his bag.
Jackson County prosecutors charged Hajji McDonald III with second-degree murder/felony murder and attempted stealing.
The murder happened on June 22 outside a gas station convenience store at 5401 Winner Road.
Court documents state the man who killed 18-year-old Jeremiah Jones told police he drove his electric dirt bike to the convenience store to buy tobacco.
He saw Jones looking at his bike and thought Jones wanted it.
When he walked out of the store, McDonald and Jones walked up behind him while "eyeing him," the man told police.
He said he tried to get away, but the men pulled him to the ground, and McDonald tried to take his bag.
The man told police that while on the ground, he realized no one was coming to help him, according to the court document.
He pulled his gun from his waistband and fought for control of the weapon. The man told police he thought McDonald would shoot him because he thought McDonald had a firearm, according to the court document.
The fight continued and the intended victim managed to get control of his gun and fired seven shots.
Jones was hit by gunfire and died a short time later at a hospital.
“Under Missouri law, if a death occurs during the commission of a felony, everyone involved in committing that felony can be charged with murder, even if they did not pull the trigger,” Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said. “While the man was legally defending himself, the defendant’s participation in the attempted theft makes him a responsible party for the resulting death.”
At the time of the murder, McDonald had an active Jackson County felony warrant for second-degree robbery and aggravated fleeing a stop or detention.
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