State v. Duncan, KCD

• Decision Date: 03 July 1978
• Docket Number: No. KCD,KCD
• Citation: State v. Duncan, 568 S.W.2d 598 (Mo. App. 1978)
• Parties: STATE of Missouri, Respondent, v. Henry L. DUNCAN, Appellant. 29578.
• Court: Missouri Court of Appeals

Page 598

568 S.W.2d 598

STATE of Missouri, Respondent, v.Henry L. DUNCAN, Appellant.

No. KCD 29578.

Missouri Court of Appeals,Kansas City District.

July 3, 1978.

J. Arnot Hill, Hill & Gamm, Kansas City, for appellant.

John D. Ashcroft, Atty. Gen., Philip M. Koppe, Asst. Atty. Gen., Jefferson City, for respondent.

Before SOMERVILLE, P. J., and DIXON and TURNAGE, JJ.

TURNAGE, Judge.

Henry Duncan was convicted on two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm with malice.Section 559.180, RSMo 1969.After the jury was unable to agree upon punishment, the court assessed concurrent 15-year terms on each count.

On this appeal Duncan challenges the sufficiency of the evidence.Affirmed.

There was evidence from which the jury could have reasonably found that in July, 1976, about 5:30 P.M., Officers Fleming, Jones and Lipka of the Kansas City Police Department were dispatched to a house to investigate a disturbance involving an armed person.When the officers arrived at the residence, they observed a young man, later identified as Duncan, standing on the front porch with a shotgun.When Duncan saw the officers he pointed the gun at them then retreated into the house.Shortly afterwards the officers saw a screen covering a second floor window knocked out and a gun extended pointing at Officer Lipka.A shot was fired from this gun which struck the officers' patrol car.Officer Lipka returned the fire and Duncan was struck by flying glass.

A short time later Sgt. Long of the police department arrived and took up a position next to Officer Lipka behind a patrol car.A few minutes later another shot was fired from the same second floor window.No one was struck by this shot.A few minutes later a third shot was fired from the same window.This shot struck Officer Lipka and some pellets struck Sgt. Long's boot.Officer Lipka suffered extensive wounds and required hospitalization.

There was evidence from which the jury could find there was no one else in the house at the time the shots were fired except Duncan.Duncan readily admitted firing a .410 gauge-pump shotgun.He stated the first shot was accidental and although the last two were fired intentionally, he denied any intent to injure anyone.Although Duncan's point in his brief challenges generally the sufficiency of the evidence, his argument is directed largely at the failure of the evidence to show Duncan intended to do any harm to Sgt. Long.This argument tacitly concedes the evidence...