Charges filed against man in shooting outside Independence restaurant

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (KCTV) - Charges have been filed against a man following a shooting outside an Independence restaurant Monday night.

Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson announced that Mekai G. Kelly-James faces up to 30 years in prison for a shooting that injured a man at Patio 816, a restaurant located at 19700 E. Valley View Parkway.

Police responded to the restaurant at approximately 8:45 p.m. Monday following an armed disturbance.

Kelly-James is charged with one count of first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, according to court records.

Johnson claims Kelly-James was escorted out of the restaurant following a dispute and then returned with a gun and opened fire. A man suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital as a result, police said.

“Detectives recovered at least 75 shell casings at the scene, evidence of the rapid-fire capability of the modified firearm involved in the incident,” Johnson said Tuesday.