Man sentenced for killing woman at Kansas City First Fridays event

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Jackson County choose on Tuesday sentenced a 20-year-old Kansas Metropolis man to 18 years in jail for the lethal taking pictures in August 2019 of 25-year-old Erin Langhofer.

Deon’te Copkney pleaded responsible in Might to second-degree homicide and armed legal motion prices.

The Choose sentenced Copkney to 18 years on the second-degree homicide convictions and three years on the armed legal motion conviction. The choose set the sentenced to run concurrently.

Police have been referred to as to the world of 18th and Fundamental streets round 10 p.m. Aug. 3, 2019, and located Langhofer shot. She was an harmless bystander and hadn’t been concerned in any form of altercation earlier than pictures have been fired.

Off-duty KCPD officers started chasing three males, together with Copkney, who fled from the scene after the taking pictures. They have been ordered to cease operating, and police mentioned Copkney dropped a handgun earlier than mendacity on the bottom.

Courtroom data say ballistics assessments confirmed the gun he dropped fired the shell casings discovered close to the scene.

Copkney instructed detectives he and two buddies received right into a battle with one other group close to the meals vehicles. After the battle broke up, he mentioned he fired pictures “into the air” and “emptied his clip,” courtroom data say.

Detectives famous that proof from the scene — contemplating bullets struck Langhofer and vital property — contradicts Copkney’s declare that he fired into the air. He instructed police was the one one who fired.