Missouri self-defense law prevented conviction in rally shooting, says prosecutor

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said Tuesday that Missouri’s self-defense law imposes a burden of proof that is too high for her office to secure a murder conviction against one of the shooters in the 2024 Chiefs Super Bowl rally that left one dead and dozens of others wounded.

Johnson spoke during a press conference on Tuesday, one day after Dominic M. Miller pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful use of a weapon in Jackson County Circuit Court. Johnson explained why her office reached a plea agreement with Miller, who faced second-degree murder and three other criminal charges that resulted in the death of the 43-year-old Lisa Lopez-Galvan.

Miller agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced to a two-year prison sentence with credit for time served.

The other criminal counts against Miller were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Johnson said that Miller, 20, exchanged gunfire with others following the rally. One of the bullets fired from Miller’s gun struck Lopez-Galvan. However, evidence was not able to confirm that the bullet from Miller’s gun killed her.

Missouri’s self-defense and defense-of-others doctrines gave her office limited options. Johnson said that her office followed the law.

Evidence showed that Miller was not the first person to open fire.

“In this state, the use of physical force, including the use of deadly force to defend another person, is lawful,” Johnson said, referring to the jury instructions in the criminal case.

“That is an extraordinarily high burden, and it is a burden that must be respected under the law without proof that Mr. Miller was the initial aggressor,” she said. “Missouri law does not allow us to continue with the murder charge.”

Johnson said she could not discuss specifics about Miller’s case because the criminal cases involving others charged in the shooting remain pending. She said that her office has involved the victim’s family throughout the legal process.

“Of course, they are not happy,” Johnson said. “We would never expect them or ask them to be happy, but we did bring them into every single second of this decision that we came to, and frankly, they deserve way more than the law currently allows us to give them.”

Johnson said that she hears and shares the community’s frustrations. Johnson said that the plea agreement was not perfect, but that accountability was gained with Miller’s sentence.

“It’s not what we would have desired, but it is accountability,” she said. “He is now a convicted felon that is barred from possessing a firearm, and we still have other cases that we are actively working on.”

Information shared during the press conference showed an increase in the number of criminal cases her office declined because of the state’s Stand Your Ground laws, which were enacted in 2016.

In 2022, the prosecutor’s office declined to file criminal charges in 68 self-defense cases. In 2025, the number of declined criminal cases was 58.

Johnson said that her office is working with Missouri state legislators to amend self-defense laws, which would enable prosecutors to file charges in more criminal cases.

In late 2025, Johnson said that she met with lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties to discuss proposed changes to the law. An amicus brief was filed in partnership with the Missouri Attorney General’s office and the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.

The brief challenged a court ruling that permitted lethal force in response to a minor assault, Johnson said.

“My administration has never been soft on crime,” she said. “This office is not soft on crime. We believe in being smart on crime, and part of that means changing the laws that are failing the people of Jackson County and beyond.”

Cases still pending

Miller is one of three adults accused of murder in the mass shooting that erupted at the close of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally celebration outside Union Station on Feb. 14, 2024. About two dozen others were struck by gunfire, nearly half of whom were children under 16 years old, and about 60 others were injured in the chaos that ensued.

Lydell Mays, 25, of Raytown, and Terry Young, 22, of Kansas City, both face one count of second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of armed criminal action. Mays also faces a charge of causing a catastrophe. Mays is scheduled to stand trial in March 2027. A trial date has not been set yet for Young.

Prosecutors allege an argument between two groups escalated into gunfire. Miller and Mays, who were on opposing sides, were both wounded. Investigators alleged that Mays pulled out his weapon and fired first, but that the shot that killed Lopez-Galvan came from Miller’s firearm, court documents state. Surveillance footage is also said to show Young firing multiple rounds during the incident.

Under Missouri law, authorities can bring a murder charge against persons involved in a fatal felony, even if that individual did not fire the deadly shot.

Three teens have also been charged in the shooting. In July 2024, Jackson County Administrative Judge Jennifer Phillips ordered a 15-year-old to serve a term at a state facility for youths after accepting his admission that he committed the charge of unlawful use of a weapon by knowingly discharging or firing a firearm at a person.

The cases against the two other teens have concluded, but details of the outcomes of their cases were not available due to the fact that they were juveniles.

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