A Black woman will not be charged after fatally shooting a Kansas City firefighter, Anthony “Tony” Santi, in self-defense, reports said.
According to Yahoo News, Anthony was shot in the back during a fight with 23-year-old Ja’Von Taylor in Independence, Missouri, on Oct. 6. Authorities haven’t released the shooter’s name. Still, on Oct. 18, Jackson County prosecutors said she wouldn’t be facing charges due to acting in self-defense.
Anthony reportedly got into a physical altercation with Ja’Von, who pulled a gun out during their alleged parking lot scuffle. It all began when the firefighter overheard Ja’Von arguing with a female gas station employee about not having his desired brand of cigars. The argument prompted him to intervene, causing the two men to have a disagreement that spilled outside the building. When the clash turned physical, Ja’Von allegedly drew his weapon, but it fell. A woman, identified as his girlfriend, quickly picked it up and pleaded for the men to stop fighting.
“Stop, sir! Stop,” she shouted, the video footage revealed. Anthony allegedly pinned Taylor to the ground when the woman yelled for the firefighter to stop. “Get off! My kids [are] in the car! Stop, [you’re] killing him!”
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After begging the firefighter to get off her boyfriend, the woman threatened to shoot him, and she did.
Attorney and author of “Missouri Weapons and Self-Defense Law” Kevin Jamison recently defended her actions, saying they were justified.
“Technically, it’s called the defense of justification, and your justification is you are saving the life of another person,” Kevin told FOX4KC. “The girlfriend is only constrained by what she reasonably believed to be the circumstances. If she didn’t see the start of the fight, all she knows is her boyfriend is getting strangled.”
The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office released a statement saying, “We grieve with the family and community over this tragic loss of life of Mr. Santi.”
Ja’Von could reportedly receive a weapons charge.
