In a new legal tactic, two Kansas City men each face a felony murder charge based on the crime of being a felon in possession of a gun.
Jackson County prosecutors announced the tactic and charges Thursday in a media release.
Jeremiah Ingram, 21, and Rowdy D. Davis, 31, are each charged with felony second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.
The charges involve the Oct. 5 shooting death of Ronald Pruitt at a house in the 8100 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard.
Felony murder charges are filed when a death results from another felony, often armed robbery.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said this is the first time in the county the charge was tied to felony weapon possession.
“Though such a charge may be deemed novel by some, it is supported by the law and is intended to stop the senseless violence that occurs in this jurisdiction,” she said in a release. “We will not stand by idly while members of this community are struck down by gun violence.”
According to the release and court records:
Pruitt had been in a fight with his girlfriend, who told Ingram he beat her up and was holding another woman at his house.
The girlfriend, Ingram, Davis, another man went to the house and Pruitt, who was unarmed, was shot after a confrontation at the door. Ingram also accidently shot Davis in the thigh.
Ingram later told a witness that the shooting was “a big mess.”
Davis told a witness “some things went bad” and he had been shot.
Ingram has a Clay County felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance.
Davis has a Texas felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance.
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