For Immediate Release
June 13, 2018
Felony charges have been amended against a defendant following a shoot out in south Kansas City that wounded a 4-year-old child in a nearby residence last weekend, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced today.
Ellery H. Beals, dob: 10/25/1982, now faces one count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm. He is charged as a persistent offender.*
Charges filed on Sunday against Beals -- Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Assault 2nd Degree and two counts of Armed Criminal Action -- have been withdrawn and replaced by the amended charge.
According to court records filed today, surveillance video showed Beals pointing a weapon at the time of the shooting in the area of 3400 Red Bridge Road on Saturday evening, June 9, 2018. At the time of initial charging, police had yet to recover the weapon believed to be the one that Beals pointed. On Tuesday, police canvassed the area for the handgun and the weapon was recovered in a nearby wooded or overgrown area. That was the same area where the defendant was observed to have been prior to arrest following the Saturday evening shooting. At least one other suspect was shown on the surveillance video to have fired weapons. But the gun recovered on Tuesday was not found to function property. And a test fire of the recovered weapon also determined that shell casings found at the scene were not fired by that recovered weapon.
Beals criminal history shows he has several prior convictions and was on supervision by the U.S. Probation and Parole at the time of this weekend's shooting incident.
The June 9 shooting incident in south Kansas City remains under investigation.
For more information, contact:
Michael Mansur
Director of Communication
Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office
Jean Peters Baker, Prosecutor
Work : (816) 881-3812
Mobile: (816) 674-3954
mmansur@jacksongov.org
http://jacksoncountyprosecutor.com
*Charges are only accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until the defendant is either found guilty or has pleaded.