OLATHE, Kan. — Two young men from Kansas City, Kan., were scheduled to appear in Johnson County Court Tuesday afternoon, to face charges related to a shooting at Oak Park Mall on Saturday.
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Willie Bryant (R)
Willie James Bryant, 24, and Gerardo Rodriguez, 21, are both charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated endangerment of a child.
Police say that at about 6:45 p.m. Saturday, they received reports about shots fired in the parking lot of the mall located near 95th and Quivira. They said a male victim in his 20’s was confronted by two suspects as he was walking to his car, parked near Macy’s. As the victim approached the door to his car, he said the suspects opened fire. The victim was not injured by the gunfire and fled the scene in his car and then contacted police.
On Tuesday, FOX 4 spoke with loved ones of the suspects who say there is another side to the story. They said the victim had pulled a gun on the two men before they opened fire on him.
On Monday, police released pictures of five individuals they said were directly or indirectly connected to the shooting. Bryant and Rodriguez turned themselves in Monday evening.
Bond for both was set at $100,000 with special conditions upon release. They will be under house arrest and monitored with GPS. They are not allowed to go within 100 yards of the victim or speak to the victim. They are to use no illegal drugs, alcohol or firearms.
