A 19-year-old man from Kansas City, Kansas, has been charged with assaulting police officers during a struggle, which resulted in a firearm being discharged inside Oak Park Mall in Overland Park over the weekend.
The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office has filed several charges against Nery Alberto Gonzalez-Munoz, including two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and felony charges for interfering with law enforcement/fleeing and endangering a child. Additionally, he is facing misdemeanor charges for battery on a police officer, carrying a concealed weapon, theft, and unlawful discharge of a firearm.
These charges stem from an alleged shoplifting incident at Macy’s in the mall. On Sunday around 4:20 p.m., three detectives attempted to apprehend Gonzalez-Munoz and another individual near the food court for shoplifting. A struggle ensued during the arrest, and Gonzalez-Munoz managed to gain control of a detective’s firearm and discharge a single shot. Fortunately, no one was injured by the gunfire at the mall, but it led to customers fleeing and seeking cover.
The charges allege that Gonzalez-Munoz assaulted two officers with a deadly weapon and came into physical contact with one of them in a rude, insulting, or angry manner. Furthermore, he is accused of putting a child under the age of 18 in danger and stealing items valued at less than $1,500 from Macy’s.
Gonzalez-Munoz’s bond has been set at $1 million, and he is scheduled to appear in Johnson County District Court. This incident marked the second instance of gunfire erupting in a Kansas City metro area mall in two days, with another individual being charged in connection to a shooting at the Independence Center mall. There, four people were injured, including a pregnant woman who was placed on life support.
