On the evening of January 2, 2018, 17-year-old Matthew Haylock, a male resident of Independence, Missouri, was found fatally shot in the parking lot of the Independence Center. Police officers responded to reports of gunfire around 8:30 p.m. at the shopping center located in the 18800 block of East 39th Street South. Upon arrival, authorities discovered Haylock lying unresponsive on the pavement outside the mall.
He had sustained a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigation into the incident revealed that Haylock had arrived at the mall in a vehicle with two other teenagers, identified as Tyler J. Gates and Luis Ramirez. According to prosecutors, the shooting was the result of a planned robbery. Investigators alleged that Gates, who was 18 at the time, and Ramirez had conspired to steal a firearm from Haylock. Witness accounts and police reports suggested a struggle ensued inside the vehicle, during which Gates allegedly shot Haylock. A relative of Gates later told police that the suspect admitted to the shooting, purportedly stating, 'I shot him mom.'
Authorities arrested Tyler J. Gates and charged him with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. His co-defendant, Luis Ramirez, was also taken into custody and charged in connection with the crime. Ramirez eventually pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and armed criminal action, receiving a sentence of eight years for the robbery charge and three years for the weapons charge.
During Gates' trial in June 2019, the defense attempted to argue that Gates acted in self-defense, claiming that it was Haylock who had attempted to rob him. However, the trial judge barred the defense from presenting this argument to the jury. Gates was subsequently convicted of second-degree murder and armed criminal action and sentenced to 20 years in prison. In December 2021, the Missouri Supreme Court overturned Gates' conviction, ruling that the trial court had violated his constitutional rights by preventing him from arguing self-defense. The high court remanded the case to the lower court for a new trial.
