Machete-wielding man shot in groin by citizen outside Kansas City store: authorities

A 46-year-old man was shot in the groin outside of a Kansas City hardware store last week by an armed citizen who authorities say was defending himself and his mother from an unprovoked machete attack.

The incident happened around 7:30 p.m. on July 19 at Westlake Ace Hardware, 6201 Independence Ave., in Kansas City’s Sheffield neighborhood on the East Side. At the scene, the alleged machete-wielder was taken to the hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds and the shooter was also hospitalized with a large cut on his left cheek.

Noe Cervantes-Guevarra, the man shot during the encounter, is now charged with four felonies accusing him of first-degree assault and armed criminal action. Authorities allege Cervantes-Guevarra attacked the mother and son in the parking lot during the daylight hours, an event witnessed by others and captured on surveillance camera.

Charging documents filed Friday in Jackson County Circuit Court paint a chaotic event as a volley of gunfire prompted shoppers to get on the floor and stay away from the windows. An off-duty officer with Kansas City police was first on scene, calling for backup and emergency medical services as one man lay in the parking lot and another stood there with a firearm in hand.

The off-duty officer, who was working security there, was informed by a store manager of a shooting that had just taken place. Once outside the officer reported ordering the shooter to drop his weapon and get on the ground before taking cover until other authorities got there.

As patrol cars were arriving, the off-duty officer saw Cervantes-Guevarra in the fetal position a short distance from a car in the lot. He reported kicking away a machete that was under his shoulder and seeing a large sheath on his back.

The officer gave aid to Cervantes-Guevarra and noticed a large amount of blood on the front part of his pants. He also initially thought Cervantes-Guevarra may have shot himself, as the officer did not witness the shooting firsthand.

During a police interview, the man who shot Cervantes-Guevarra said he and his mother had arrived at the hardware store with a plan to purchase gardening supplies minutes before the tense encounter. Just after they finished parking, he said, Cervantes-Guevarra approached the driver’s side of his car and began staring at him.

The man said he believed Cervantes-Guevarra was going to ask for change. But then, he told police, Cervantes-Guevarra unsheathed a machete from behind his back and struck the driver’s side window, causing it to shatter.

Both the man and his mother were trying to get out through the passenger side door as Cervantes-Guevarra ran around to the other side and started swinging at the mother, they told police. After she was knocked to the ground, the man said he retrieved a firearm from his car and tried to get Cervantes-Guevarra to leave.

He said he was hit with the blade twice — once in the face and once on the shoulder — and then chased. He recalled firing as many as eight gunshots at his attacker’s “lower body to get him to stop” and stopped firing once he fell to the ground, court papers say.

The mother recalled the event in similar detail, saying she and her son were taking off their seat belts when they were attacked. She told police she saw Cervantes-Guevarra run a short distance after being shot before he collapsed.

Another eyewitness to the event described seeing Cervantes-Guevarra chase down the man while holding what appeared to be a large stick above his head and swinging it. She said she saw the man look over his shoulder and get hit with the blade before reaching into his waistband and firing a handgun at him.

Police reported finding five spent shell casings that all came from a 9mm handgun. Other evidence, including a machete, was also collected.

Jennifer Dameron, a spokeswoman for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, said the man who shot Cervantes-Guevarra will not face criminal charges, saying his actions were made in self-defense.

Under Missouri law, a person has the right to use potentially deadly force in certain situations where another person presents a violent threat, including in public spaces. The law is commonly known as “Stand Your Ground” and does not require the person to attempt retreat before using such force in self-defense.

Charging documents in Cervantes-Guevarra’s case offered no insight of any suspected motive in the attack. Cervantes-Guevarra did not have an attorney listed in court papers who could speak on his behalf.