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Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson explained in more detail Tuesday her decision to drop murder charges against a suspect charged in connection with the death of Lisa Lopez-Galvan at the Chiefs rally shooting in February 2024.
On Monday, the defendant, Dominic Miller, reached a plea deal with prosecutors. Miller pleaded guilty to unalwful use of a weapon in connection with the deadly shooting. All other charges, including the charge of second-degree murder, were dropped.
On Tuesday, Johnson said Miller was protected by the state’s Stand Your Ground law.
“So under Missouri law, that meant that we did not file a murder charge even though someone lost their life,” Johnson said in a news conference Tuesday. “Those conversations with families never get easier, and should not have to happen as often as they do.”
The prosecutor’s office said the number of cases they have been unable to prosecute due to the state’s Stand Your Ground laws has increased in the last several years since the latest laws were adopted in 2016.
“That is exactly why my office has been working on these issues behind the scenes, even when it doesn’t make headlines,” Johnson said Tuesday.
Johnson said she met with lawmakers from both parties at the start of 2026 to discuss potential changes to the law. Johnson is hopeful of changes as simple as that an assault should not justify lethal force. She is also working to change the language in the law.
A second suspect, Lyndell Mays, was also charged with second-degree murder in the shooting. His criminal case continues to work through the legal system, with a trial set for March 2027.
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