A Missouri prosecutor said her office will re-examine the 2017 fatal shooting of a suspected shoplifter, after the same Kansas-City-area deputy was charged with shooting a scooter-rider in the back while trying to arrest her.

During both arrests, Jackson County Sheriff's Deputy Lauren Michael said she fired during struggles over her stun gun.

She received a medal of valor for tackling Donald Sneed III as she worked off-duty at her second job as a Walmart security guard in 2017.

In that case, she claimed Sneed grabbed her stun gun and she was forced to fatally shoot him in response.

But in August this year, the officer offered a similar explanation for shooting U.S. Coast Guard veteran Brittany Simek, 25, in the back as she fled, after Michael tried to arrest her for riding an e-scooter the wrong way down a street.

Michael was charged Wednesday with first-degree assault and armed criminal action over the shooting, that wounded Simek in her back and buttocks.

Scroll down for video

Jackson County Sheriff's Deputy Lauren Michael was given a medal of valor for shooting dead Donald Sneed III in 2017 when he was suspected of shoplifting. She was charged Wednesday for a similar incident that occurred in August

'Because there are similarities to the 2017 shooting, we thought it would be best to look at it again,' the prosecutor's rep said Thursday about the Donald Sneed III (right) shooting in 2017 compared to the August incident involving Brittany Simeck (left)

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker's decision on Thursday to reopen the 2017 investigation - a reversal from a statement her office released a day earlier - comes amid public demands by the 31-year-old Donald Sneed III's family.

Donald Sneed Jr. said 29-year-old Michael is 'trigger happy' after she was charged over the Simek shooting.

Sneed Jr's son, Donald Sneed III, was fatally shot by Michael two years ago outside a Walmart in Raytown, reports The Kansas City Star.

Michael's bond is set at $30,000. No attorney is listed for her in online court records.

The Sneed family already filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

'Because there are similarities to the 2017 shooting, we thought it would be best to look at it again,' said Michael Mansur, a spokesman for Baker.

In Simek's case, Michael was conducting traffic enforcement patrols in a bar and entertainment area with other deputies when they noticed two people allegedly riding a Bird electronic scooter on the wrong side of the street.

A deputy followed them in a patrol car and moments later collided with the scooter. The male driver of the scooter was immediately arrested, but Simek ran away.

Michael caught up with Simek and a struggle ensued. The cop claimed she zapped Simek in the stomach with her taser but the woman managed to get a hold of it and hit her in the leg. That's when Michael pulled out her service handgun and shot Simek.

The Sneed family already filed a wrongful death lawsuit over the death of Donald Sneed III - pictured

In the charging documents, prosecutors allege that Michael was not truthful when she told investigators that Simek tried to grab her stun gun.

The Jackson County Prosecutor describes dashcam video in a statement: 'According to her dash camera video, the woman stood up and walked toward the deputy. They then moved out of view of the dash camera until Michael is seen attempting to detain her. The deputy grabbed her hair and pulled her to the ground, and a drink the woman is holding spills on the deputy.

'The video then only shows the woman's legs and a small portion of Michael's left side. Shortly, the video shows the woman's legs twitch and she suddenly gets up and runs away. Seconds later, smoke is seen blowing into the video's view, presumably the result of the Michael's discharge of her weapon.'

Simek told investigators that Michael shot her in the back as she tried to run away, according to court records. Simek wasn't charged in the incident.

'We respect the hard job law enforcement does, however law enforcement is not above the law and when excessive force is used it is imperative that they are held accountable,' said Mike Yonke, a civil attorney who is representing Simek.

Police attending the scene after found five bullet casings and Deputy Michael's taser gun. The taser had been used twice in two seconds which didn't support the cop's story of the struggle.

Simek had been shot four times. She served in the Coast Guard from July 2014 until February 2017, Fox4KC.com reported.

Michael referenced the Sneed shooting in the moments immediately following the August incident involving Simek, telling her supervisor: 'I am not as comfortable with this one as the last one,' according to court documents.

The Sneed shooting happened in May 2017 when employees at the Walmart where Michael was working off-duty security stopped him because they suspected him of shoplifting.

He allegedly became violent, and Michael tried to help the employees. Michael later said Sneed grabbed her stun gun and shocked her in the neck with it before she shot and killed him.

His father, Sneed Jr., said he doesn't believe that. He said Michael shot his son multiple times and that his son wasn't attacking her when she fired the shots, but rather was being held down.

The sheriff's office said he had been wanted on felony warrants for robbery and tampering with a motor vehicle.

Michael was given the medal of valor for her actions during the incident, which the family's attorney, Jermaine Wooten, described as 'almost insulting.'

Jackson County Sheriff Daryl Forté Michael said in a tweet that Michael has been placed on unpaid leave pending the outcome of the criminal case stemming from Simek's shooting, which is a standard practice when criminal charges are filed.

He declined further comment.

Michael was released on $30,000 bond and is due in court October 23.

Deputy Michael faces five to 15 years in prison if convicted and wouldn't be eligible for parole until 58 per cent of the sentence is served.