No charges will be filed against Lafayette County deputy in shooting of 19-year-old

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Johnson County, Missouri, prosecuting attorney announced Tuesday that he will not be filing charges against the Lafayette County deputy who shot and killed 19-year-old Saveion McConnell.

The incident occurred April 30 into the early hours of May 1. McConnell and some friends drove from Lee’s Summit to a party in Warrensburg.

According to a court document, the group had an AR-style rifle in the car on the way to Warresnburg, where McConnell acquired a Glock pistol before leaving the party.

Near the intersection of Highway 50 and Highway 131, the pistol discharged and shot the juvenile female driver in the back.

“No physical evidence contradicted the belief of the juvenile that she was shot by someone in the rear seats,” the court document stated.

When the girl stopped the car, footage from a nearby business showed people exiting the car and one person fleeing on foot.

Deputies were able to respond within minutes, as they were in the area. Upon contact with the girl, she said she was shot by McConnell, who fled the scene.

During a search of the vehicle, both the AR-style rifle and a Glock were located.

Stories varied from each passenger about what happened. While the girl said she was shot by McConnell, another passenger said they were hit by a drive-by. However, no evidence supported the drive-by version of events, per a court document.

Another passenger said the two in the back were passing the gun when it discharged.

Additional law enforcement officers were called to assist at the scene.

While a family member was taking some of the passengers home, they recognized McConnell walking on the highway.

Deputies soon received a call about two males on the highway, identified as McConnell and one of his friends.

Officers pulled up and instructed the two to walk backwards with their hands up, but McConnell took off running again. In an attempt to stop him, a deputy placed his vehicle between McConnell and the car of the passengers, making contact with McConnell.

Nevertheless, he got back up and continued running toward a fence.

The deputy ordered McConnell to put his hands up, but he lifted his shirt and reached for his waistband, which a court document states was captured on an officer’s body-warn camera.

The deputy then discharged his weapon; McConnell died of his injuries suffered in the shooting.

In the investigation after the incident, the deputy said he believed McConnell was reaching for a gun.

The Johnson County prosecuting attorney stated that for the deputy to use deadly force, “he needed to reasonably believe he was in imminent danger of serious physical injury, death or a forcible felony.”

Based on the search for McConnell on the belief he shot the girl, reasonable belief he could be armed, resisting arrest and motioning toward his waistband as if to grab a weapon, the prosecuting attorney said the deputy had reasonable belief to be in fear of death or serious injury.

In Missouri, the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person did not act in self-defense.

So based on the available evidence, the prosecuting attorney said he believed it would be difficult to find the deputy did not have a reasonable belief of serious injury or death; he also said he believed a jury would find the deputy was justified.

For those reasons, Prosecuting Attorney Robert Russell declined to charge the deputy.

“It is a sad and regrettable situation that resulted in the death of Saveion McConnell. When the loss of his life was avoidable, it is sadder still,” Russell said.

Russell went on to say that when the legal standard for use of deadly force is met in a criminal case, that means criminal prosecution is not the best way to address issues that would be better suited for a civil lawsuit.

Civil suits have a “different burden of proof and legal standards for the use of force in these situations,” Russell said.

The legal team for the family of McConnell reacted to Russell's decision to not charge with a statement.

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