5 days ago
Wyandotte County candidate shot her contractor. Will court rule it self defense?
Later this week, a Wyandotte County district court judge may consider whether to grant self defense immunity to political candidate Lisa Walker-Yeager after she shot a man in the back last fall.
Walker-Yeager, who is running for two local government boards in this year's general election, said in court documents that she shot contractor Noble Bey to protect herself and her daughter.
She has maintained Bey displayed aggressive behavior toward her because he was unsatisfied with the amount she paid him for construction work he did for her and should be excused from the case.
Bey, meanwhile, told authorities that Walker-Yeager shot him after a dispute over money she owed him for construction-related work, according to court documents.
Kansas City, Kansas, police officers on Oct. 12, 2024, responded to the shooting near North 10th Street and Quindaro Boulevard where they found Bey had been shot in the back, and several rounds had been fired into his vehicle, according to court documents.
The state charged Walker-Yeager with aggravated battery by knowingly causing harm or bodily disfigurement, and unlawful discharge of a firearm in city limits. She will next appear in court in Wyandotte County at 2 p.m. Thursday, according to court records.
The Wyandotte County District Attorney's Office is arguing the shooting was not self defense, given Bey didn't have a firearm on him, according to court records.
The court on July 25 denied a motion to dismiss the case after hearing arguments from the involved parties, records show.
The outcome of the case would affect the lives of parties involved in the shooting as well as the November general election.
Walker-Yeager just last week made it through a crowded primary election in two separate races. The leader of the National Historic Soul Jazz Blues Walker Foundation and local neighborhood association vice president wants to represent the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK's first district, and also hold an at-large seat on the Board of Public Utilities.
However, Kansans convicted of a felony are not allowed to hold public office.
Without a ruling thus far, she was as of Tuesday still on deck to compete against Jermaine Howard for the Unified Government District 1 seat and against Gary Bradley-Lopez in the at-large BPU race.
Walker-Yeager garnered the second-most votes in the commission race and was the top vote-getter in the BPU race during last week's primary election.
Walker-Yeager on Tuesday afternoon declined to comment on the case further. She also declined on behalf of her attorney and campaign manager.
