Ronald Barnett was 71 years old and running a simple errand when his life ended in a Walmart parking lot in Kansas City, Missouri. In less than two minutes, the retired truck driver from Excelsior Springs was dead after an altercation with Taquiza Johnson, a former Kansas City Police Department officer who had left the force nearly a decade earlier.
Last week, a Platte County jury found Johnson, 49, guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in Barnett's death. The jury recommended life imprisonment—a sentence his daughter said brought some measure of relief to a family still struggling to understand how a routine shopping trip turned fatal.
"That's just crazy to me and our family," Barnett's daughter told The Kansas City Star. "But outside of that, I think we're pleased with what the jury did eventually come back with, with life in prison."
Background
The shooting occurred on August 21, 2024, in the parking lot of the Walmart near the Shops at Boardwalk shopping center at Northwest Barry Road and North Boardwalk Avenue. Surveillance footage obtained by WDAF showed Johnson leaving the store and crossing through a crosswalk where Barnett was driving his vehicle.
According to charging documents, Johnson extended his arm toward Barnett's car as it passed. Barnett stopped, reversed, and got out of his vehicle. The two men exchanged words for approximately 20 seconds before returning to their respective vehicles.
What happened next transformed a minor disagreement into a tragedy. As Barnett walked toward the Walmart entrance, surveillance cameras captured Johnson driving back toward him. Johnson exited his vehicle, approached Barnett, and fired one shot before fleeing the scene. Within minutes, the 71-year-old was taken to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Missouri Highway Patrol troopers located Johnson's vehicle at a nearby apartment complex within 10 minutes of the shooting. Authorities alleged he had changed clothes by the time officers arrived.
The Investigation
Johnson had served with the Kansas City Police Department from 2004 to 2014 but was not a law enforcement officer at the time of the shooting. He faced an initial charge of first-degree murder, though the jury ultimately convicted him of the lesser included offense of second-degree murder.
During trial, Johnson's defense team argued he acted in self-defense, claiming Barnett had threatened him during their brief parking lot interaction. The argument failed spectacularly when Johnson himself took the witness stand and admitted that Barnett was not armed and that he never saw any weapon.
"The instruction on self-defense in Missouri is clear," Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said in a press release. "Verbal threats are not enough. Name-calling is not enough. A person claiming self-defense must establish that the perceived aggressor possessed, exhibited, or threatened to use a weapon readily capable of lethal force. Deadly force is not justified in response to fear of being grabbed or even punched. The old axiom is true—you cannot bring a gun to a fist-fight."
Key Takeaways
- Ronald Barnett was 71 years old and survived by four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and five siblings.
- Former KCPD officer Taquiza Johnson served with the department from 2004 to 2014 but was not a member of law enforcement at the time of the shooting.
- The entire confrontation lasted less than two minutes, according to charging documents.
- Johnson's self-defense argument failed when he admitted on the stand that Barnett was unarmed and no weapon was ever displayed.
- A jury convicted Johnson of second-degree murder and armed criminal action, recommending life imprisonment.
What's Next
Johnson is scheduled for formal sentencing on September 14 in Platte County Circuit Court. While judges are not bound by jury recommendations in Missouri, such suggestions typically carry significant weight during sentencing. The victim's family expressed satisfaction with the verdict while acknowledging ongoing concerns about emergency response times following the initial 911 call.