KANSAS CITY (AP) — A suburban Kansas City man accused of killing his roommate during an argument over a locked door told investigators he shot the other man to protect himself from being attacked, police said.
Robert Matlock Jr., 43, is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the June 16 killing of Ramiro Jaramillo.
Police said the shooting happened at the Raytown home the two men shared as they argued over Matlock’s decision to place a lock on a door leading to Matlock’s medical marijuana kept in the garage.
Police said Matlock told officers he acted in self-defense, saying his roommate was trying to attack him and that he thought Jaramillo may have been armed with a knife or gun at the time. Matlock said he warned Jaramillo he would shoot, then closed his eyes and fired three or four times, police recounted from the interview.
Jaramillo was taken to an area hospital, where he later died.
Matlock told investigators that he and Jaramillo argued frequently and that he shared with police cellphone videos of the two arguing, including on the day of the shooting.