Aug 14, 2020

Charges filed after fatal accident shooting at KC Zoo

Posted Aug 14, 2020 1:00 AM
Meneses photo MODC
Meneses photo MODC

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City man whose cousin was accidentally shot to death in the parking lot of the Kansas City Zoo has been charged with illegally possessing a weapon.

Anthony Meneses, 27, was arrested Thursday after being charged earlier this week with being a felon in possession of a firearm, prosecutors said.

Kansas City police were called to the zoo on Sunday and found Jason Smith, 19, suffering from a gunshot wound while sitting in a vehicle. Smith died at the hospital and police later said their investigation determined the shooting was accidental.

Federal prosecutors said Meneses was sitting behind Smith when he reached for a gun in a back pocket of the driver's seat and the gun went off. The bullet went through the seat and struck Smith. Two other people in the car were not injured.

Meneses was not allowed to possess a weapon because he had a prior felony conviction for tampering with a motor vehicle.

Prosecutors said the arrest was part of Operation LeGend, a federal task force created to assist local authorities in addressing violent crime.