Early in the morning on October 30, 2016, police in Kansas City, Missouri, responded to reports of a shooting in the Northeast neighborhood. Officers arrived at the scene outside Palmeras Disco, a nightclub located at 6900 Executive Drive near the 1600 block of Universal Avenue, shortly after 3:00 a.m. Upon arrival, they discovered the body of a 33-year-old male, Andres Jimenez-Garcia, in the parking lot. He had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses provided investigators with a narrative of the events leading up to the violence. According to reports, Jimenez-Garcia and another patron had bumped into one another inside the nightclub, sparking a verbal argument between the two. When Jimenez-Garcia left the establishment, the other man reportedly followed him into the parking lot to confront him further. The confrontation escalated when the aggressor fired a handgun once into the ground before turning the weapon on Jimenez-Garcia and shooting him.
Following an investigation that linked evidence found at the scene—specifically a jacket containing a cellphone—to a suspect, prosecutors announced charges in April 2017. Juan J. Bravo-Leon, who was 24 years old at the time of the charges, was accused of the killing. During questioning, detectives reported that Bravo-Leon admitted to the shooting but claimed it had been an accident. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and two counts of armed criminal action in connection with Jimenez-Garcia's death.
