In the early hours of November 6, 2020, a violent encounter in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City, Missouri, tragically cut short the life of 37-year-old Margarita Paez. The female victim was a loving mother to three daughters and had recently become a grandmother. Known for her vibrant and charismatic personality, she was described as the 'life of the party' and someone with a huge heart who could brighten any room she entered.
The incident unfolded shortly after midnight in the 1500
block of West 12th Street, where a verbal confrontation escalated into gunfire. Surveillance footage from a nearby gas station captured the moments leading up to the shooting. Juan C. Berumen, a 27-year-old man from Kansas City, Kansas, was seen holding a shotgun during the argument. Prosecutors allege that Berumen opened fire, fatally striking both Margarita Paez and another individual, 43-year-old Floyd Freeman Jr. Another person sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Following the shooting, Berumen was also injured when occupants of a white SUV, which the injured man had entered, fired back at him as they fled the scene. Both Paez and Berumen were transported to the hospital in the same vehicle before police arrived. Paez tragically succumbed to her injuries.
Authorities later arrested Juan C. Berumen in connection with the double homicide. He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action, second-degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon. A cash-only bond was set at $500,000. The investigation revealed that Paez had arrived at the gas station in Berumen's vehicle on the night of the fatal shooting.
