By Michael Bushnell
Northeast News
December 7, 2011

Jonathan Luevano, 18, of Northeast Kansas City has been charged with armed criminal action and one count of unlawful use of a weapon in connection with a gang related shooting last march at St. John and Van Brunt.

According to court documents, Luevano was in a vehicle near the corner of St. John and Belmont on March 5 when a group of males in another vehicle flashed a rival gang sign at him.

Luevano’s vehicle pursued the rival vehicle west on St. John to near the corner of St. John and Van Brunt where the vehicle Luevano was in began striking the back of the victim’s vehicle.

Witnesses then reported hearing numerous gunshots. Then, the victim’s vehicle sped away, ultimately to Truman Medical Center where the victim was transported immediately to surgery for treatment of a gunshot wound to the back of the head. Subsequently, he remained in a coma for almost five months. The victim was interviewed by police six months after the crime and positively identified Luevano a.k.a. “Tweety” as the person responsible for the shooting. As a result of the shooting, the victim is partially paralyzed and has memory problems.

On Dec. 5 Luevano was arrested and interviewed by police. He is being held in the county jail on a $150,000 cash only bond.