A man was charged with murder this week in a shooting and fatality near a Walmart Supercenter in Northland, according to court documents filed Thursday.
Taquiza V. Johnson, 47, was charged Thursday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the killing of 71-year-old Ronald Barnett.
The shooting occurred shortly before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Kansas City police said. They found Barnett with a gunshot wound and took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to data collected by The Star, the shooting was the 96th homicide reported in Kansas City this year. During the same period last year, 133 homicides were reported in the city.
What happened in the shooting near Walmart?
According to a probable cause affidavit, video surveillance at the Walmart allegedly showed an interaction between the two men before Johnson shot Barnett.
“We allege that this defendant shot and killed someone in broad daylight in the parking lot of a major retail establishment,” Platte County Attorney Eric Zahnd said in a press release. “This is both tragic and disturbing.”
As Johnson was leaving Walmart, Barnett’s vehicle passed him and Johnson made a movement toward the vehicle, the affidavit states. Barnett backed up, stopped and then exited his vehicle. Johnson walked toward Barnett’s vehicle and then walked away, the affidavit states.
Barnett then parked his vehicle and walked toward the Walmart entrance when Johnson pulled up next to Barnett’s parked vehicle.
Barnett then approached Johnson, who was standing at the rear of his vehicle with his hands behind his back. Two seconds later, the affidavit states, Johnson shot Barnett. After Barnett fell to the ground, Johnson left the scene without attempting to help Barnett, the affidavit states.
Barnett was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at 4:59 p.m.
Witnesses, a cartridge case and an arrest
A .40-caliber Speer cartridge case was recovered at the scene and investigators found a bullet hole in the tailgate of Barnett’s vehicle. A bullet was recovered from the passenger’s back seat, according to court documents.
Numerous witnesses described the suspect as a black man driving a black SUV, the affidavit states. After reviewing video surveillance at the Walmart, investigators confirmed the suspect vehicle was a black Jeep with a Missouri license plate registered to Johnson, the affidavit states.
Missouri State Highway Patrol officers found the Jeep at an apartment complex within eight minutes of providing license plate information, the affidavit states. Johnson was taken into custody and was reportedly wearing different clothing than he was wearing at the time of the shooting.
According to court documents, a search warrant for Johnson’s apartment seized clothing matching the description of what Johnson was wearing at Walmart, as well as a .40-caliber Glock pistol loaded with .40-caliber Speer cartridges.
Police spoke to Johnson’s wife outside the apartment, the affidavit states, and she allegedly told officers that Johnson told her he got into an altercation at Walmart when he returned home.
Johnson has been held without bail since Thursday afternoon. No hearings have been scheduled in the case.
