Killa City: Details emerge in Independence park killing
We’re finally getting details on the homicide in Independence’s Benton Park early Saturday morning. Court records accuse 19-year-old Mauricio Lopez of killing Jeffrey P. Johnson. Lopez allegedly shot Johnson at 2:42 a.m. during an argument over a man calling and text messaging his ex-girlfriend.
Court records say John Fuiamono wanted to fight Eddie Rodriguez, his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend. Fuiamono brought back up — Lopez, Edgar A. Herrera, Nicolas O’Leary, David Miller, Rollie Hanks and a juvenile. Hanks drove the crew in his Chevrolet Carpice to Benton Park. They met Rodriguez, Johnson and Anthony Mills.
Lopez would later tell detectives that Miller handed him the revolver and told him to shoot Johnson as he was running away. Lopez allegedly admitted shooting Johnson, telling detectives that he shot Johnson with a “Felony 44.”
In an interview with detectives, Herrera would admit to shooting Mills in the right buttocks with a .22.
After the shooting, Lopez, Herrera and O’Leary allegedly returned to the car in which Miller wiped the guns with his Indianapolis Colts jersey and then threw them out of the car.
Independence Police arrived at Benton Park four minutes after the shooting. Officers found Johnson with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper torso lying in the “fetal position” on Crane. He wasn’t responding, so he was taken to Centerpoint Hospital where he died. The Jackson County Medical Examiner ruled Johnson’s death a homicide.
Today, Jackson County prosecutors charged Lopez with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. They also charged Herrera with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.
