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Suspected Kansas City highway sniper charged; no motive given
Mohammed Pedro Whitaker, a medical supply company employee, was charged in 9 highway shootings so far out of 12 in the Kansas City area in which three people were wounded.
By Mark Guarino, Staff writer / April 18, 2014
A man arrested Thursday night as a suspect in as many as 12 highway shootings, a spree that has gripped the Kansas City area for a month, was charged Friday with 18 felony counts related to nine of the incidents, in which three people were wounded.
Mohammed Pedro Whitaker, a medical supply company employee, was charged in relation to just 9 shootings, although as many as 12 were reported in Grandview Triangle, an area located in the southern part of Kansas City. Mo., where Interstates 435, 470, and US 71/I-49 come together.
Jackson County prosecutors say more charges likely are forthcoming.
Of the 18 counts, seven counts include the unlawful use of a weapon, two counts include the unlawful use of a weapon that resulted in an injury, and nine counts of armed criminal action.
Mr. Whitaker’s bond was set at $1 million. Police say they do not yet know of a motive and that the investigation is ongoing.
“Charges would not be filed if we weren’t confident we had the person responsible for these shootings,†said Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters-Baker.
No one was killed in the shootings, and three people were wounded. None of the injuries were life-threatening. Police say Mr. Whitaker fired shots at vehicles often before they reached a highway exit ramp. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and several local police departments cooperated in the investigation.
Police said they received more than 110 tips, some of which led to Whitaker’s arrest Thursday night at his home in Grandview, Mo. The Kansas City Star says undercover officers had worked off tips to follow Whitaker since last week.
“But for tips from public, this apprehension might never have happened,†Kansas City Mayor Sly James said at a press conference Friday.
Mohammed Pedro Whitaker, a medical supply company employee, was charged in 9 highway shootings so far out of 12 in the Kansas City area in which three people were wounded.
By Mark Guarino, Staff writer / April 18, 2014
A man arrested Thursday night as a suspect in as many as 12 highway shootings, a spree that has gripped the Kansas City area for a month, was charged Friday with 18 felony counts related to nine of the incidents, in which three people were wounded.
Mohammed Pedro Whitaker, a medical supply company employee, was charged in relation to just 9 shootings, although as many as 12 were reported in Grandview Triangle, an area located in the southern part of Kansas City. Mo., where Interstates 435, 470, and US 71/I-49 come together.
Jackson County prosecutors say more charges likely are forthcoming.
Of the 18 counts, seven counts include the unlawful use of a weapon, two counts include the unlawful use of a weapon that resulted in an injury, and nine counts of armed criminal action.
Mr. Whitaker’s bond was set at $1 million. Police say they do not yet know of a motive and that the investigation is ongoing.
“Charges would not be filed if we weren’t confident we had the person responsible for these shootings,†said Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters-Baker.
No one was killed in the shootings, and three people were wounded. None of the injuries were life-threatening. Police say Mr. Whitaker fired shots at vehicles often before they reached a highway exit ramp. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and several local police departments cooperated in the investigation.
Police said they received more than 110 tips, some of which led to Whitaker’s arrest Thursday night at his home in Grandview, Mo. The Kansas City Star says undercover officers had worked off tips to follow Whitaker since last week.
“But for tips from public, this apprehension might never have happened,†Kansas City Mayor Sly James said at a press conference Friday.
CSmonitor
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