KANSAS CITY (AP) — A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in the fatal shooting of an Independence man last year.
Arieous K. Walton-Merritt, 24, Lee's Summit, was given two consecutive 10-year prison sentences for involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action for the killing of Matthew Bland-Williams, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Prosecutors said Bland-Williams was found collapsed in front of an Independence home on July 23, 2020 and Walton-Merritt was found at a nearby home. Both men were suffering from gunshot wounds.
Surveillance video showed Walton-Merritt firing two gunshots before the men struggled, according to court documents. Bland-Williams pulled the gun away and fired at Walton-Merritt as he fled, authorities said.