KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Charges against two men accused in a shooting at a crowded Kansas bar that left four people dead and five injured have been upgraded to capital murder, giving prosecutors the option of seeking the death penalty.
The amended charges filed Wednesday against Hugo Villanueva-Morales and Javier Alatorre in the Oct. 6 shooting at Tequila KC Bar in Kansas City also include: one count of attempted murder; six counts of aggravated battery; one count of aggravated assault; and one count of criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree said he has not yet decided whether to pursue the death penalty.
Police have said the shooting stemmed from an earlier dispute at the bar, after which the men returned with guns and opened fire. Officers had responded to reports of a disturbance at the bar two hours before the shooting.
Alatorre was arrested shortly after the shooting but Villanueva-Morales fled and was arrested in Mexico Dec. 12.
Villanueva-Morales could face more charges in reference to his flight but Dupree said he wanted to concentrate on the more serious crimes for now.