2 men convicted on 4 felonies each in Kansas City mall shooting

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two men accused in a mass shooting that occurred at Crown Center were each convicted on four felony charges by a Jackson County judge Friday.

Joel Olivas, 24, and Brian Favela, 23, were both found guilty of two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of armed criminal action and three misdemeanor counts of second-degree harassment for the shooting that happened in January.

One count of unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action was dismissed, because the judge overseeing the case said the state did not provide sufficient enough evidence to override Missouri’s self-defense laws.

Olivas and Favela waived their right to a criminal trial by jury and consented to a bench trial, which allowed the judge to decide their cases.

“Today’s verdict points to a level of accountability that this office will seek for individuals who engage in this kind of insidious conduct, even when the defendants are armored with Missouri’s very generous self-defense laws,” Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a statement.

“We will take every step possible to hold offenders accountable for their own criminal behavior. I’m grateful for this trial team who worked so hard and so quickly to get these offenders to trial. And I am so grateful for the management team at Crown Center and Hallmark and the KCPD, who helped in every possible way to get today’s verdict,” she said.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 12.

The Jan. 17 shooting began about 5:45 p.m. when two groups started arguing with each other inside the mall in the 2400 block of Grand Boulevard, according to court documents.

One witness told police that they heard the two groups yelling “East Side” and “West Side,” along with other expletives, before the shooting.

Prosecutors alleged Olivas and Favela yelled at the opposing group to stop walking away and referenced their weapons before one member from the other group turned around and fired a weapon. Olivas and Favela then returned fire as two men ran away without shooting a weapon.

Surveillance video showed Favela shooting what appeared to be a MAC-10 assault weapon and Olivas firing a handgun that was able to be fired as an automatic weapon, according to court documents.

Police said Olivas and Favela identified as part of an East Side gang, and were firing at people who reportedly identified as part of a West Side gang.

The six victims, who range in age from late teens to at least 50 years old, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

During the trial, attorneys for Olivas and Favela argued they shot at people in the mall in self-defense, according to court documents.

While reading the verdict, the judge overseeing the case said they did not prove self-defense on two counts, since the duo allegedly chased the group down a hallway and two men from the other group retreated once the shooting began.

According to court records, Olivas and Favela discovered that members of the other group were going to be at Crown Center. Once at Crown Center, Olivas started recording on his phone, and the video allegedly shows Favela and Olivas making threats while following people through Crown Center.

Crime scene technicians found 54 spent shell cases, according to a police affidavit. The shell casings were primarily found between The Coterie Theatre and Sheridan’s Ice Cream on the first floor. Multiple restaurants sustained major damage from the gunfire, police said.

Olivas and Favela will be held in custody until sentencing.

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(The Star’s Bob Cronkleton and Kendrick Calfee contributed to this reporting.)

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