INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — A court employee and a police officer were fatally shot Thursday after the court process server tried to serve an eviction notice at a home in Missouri, authorities said.
A second officer was critically injured, but is expected to survive, police said.
Independence Police Chief Adam Dustman said Thursday afternoon at a news conference outside Centerpoint Medical Center that two of his police officers were met with gunfire while coming to the aid of Drexel Mack, the man who had been trying to serve the eviction notice.
Mack had called 911 saying he had been shot, Dustman said. The officers responded at about 1:10 p.m. and approached Mack to help him when someone shot at them, he said.
“I’m very tragically sorry to report that we lost one of our own," Dustman said, identifying the officer as Cody Allen, 35.
The second officer, whose name wasn’t released, underwent surgery and is expected to recover, Dustman said.
Dustman called Allen a hero and described the police department as a “broken family,” over Allen's death.
“He always had a smile,” Dustman said.
A man suspected in the shooting was in custody and sustained minor injuries, Corporal Justin Ewing with Missouri State Highway Patrol said during an earlier news conference.
Independence Police Department spokesperson Officer Jack Taylor said no details were immediately available about what led to the shooting.
Mack had worked for Jackson County for over a decade, officials said.
“We are devastated that a court employee, who is a public servant, was shot by a member of the public while performing their job,” Presiding Judge Jalilah Otto said in a statement. “Our hearts are heavy and our thoughts are with our employee, our entire Court family, and the Independence Police Department.”
More than a dozen officers lined up outside the hospital late Thursday afternoon to escort the bodies of the slain to the medical examiner’s office. People hugged and consoled each other after the procession left.
Helicopter video from KMBC-TV earlier in the day showed emergency vehicles converged around an isolated house in the middle of a field. The area was a mixture of woods and farmland with a smattering of houses on large, multi-acre lots. A church was mixed in among the homes.
Independence is a suburb of Kansas City, with about 122,000 residents.
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INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — A court employee and a police officer were fatally shot Thursday after the court process server tried to serve an eviction notice at a home in Independence, Missouri, authorities said.
A second officer was critically injured, but is expected to survive, police said at a news conference.
A male suspect sustained minor injuries, Corporal Justin Ewing with Missouri State Highway Patrol said during a separate news conference.
Independence Police Department spokesperson Officer Jack Taylor said no details are immediately available about what led to the shooting.
Helicopter video from KMBC-TV showed emergency vehicles converged around an isolated house in the middle of a field. The media was cordoned off in an area about 1 mile (1.61 kilometers) from the crime scene. The area was a mixture of woods and farmland with a smattering of houses on large, multi-acre lots. A church was mixed in among the houses.
Independence is a suburb of Kansas City, with about 122,000 residents.
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INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — Two police officers and a court employee were shot and wounded Thursday at a home in Independence, Missouri, authorities said.
Corporal Justin Ewing with Missouri State Highway Patrol said during a news conference the two officers were critically injured and were transported to a hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known.
The 16th Judicial Court of Missouri said a court process server also was shot and critically injured by someone inside the home while serving an eviction notice.
“We are devastated that a court employee, who is a public servant, was shot by a member of the public while performing their job,” Presiding Judge Jalilah Otto said in a statement. “Our hearts are heavy and our thoughts are with our employee, our entire Court family, and the Independence Police Department.”
A male suspect sustained minor injuries, Kansas City police Capt. Jake Becchina said at the news conference.
Independence Police Department spokesperson Officer Jack Taylor said no details are immediately available about what led to the shooting.
Helicopter video from KMBC-TV showed emergency vehicles converged around an isolated house in the middle of a field. The media was cordoned off in an area about 1 mile (1.61 kilometers) from the crime scene. The area was a mixture of woods and farmland with a smattering of houses on large, multi-acre lots. A church was mixed in among the houses.
Independence is a suburb of Kansas City, with about 122,000 residents.
Capt. Ronda Montgomery of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said she could confirm that police officers were shot, but that she couldn’t comment further. She said it’s under the jurisdiction of the Independence police and that it’s their scene.
Schools in the Fort Osage School District were locked down for about 20-30 minutes until authorities gave the all-clear, spokesperson Stephanie Smith said.
“The incident occurred several miles from our nearest school, so it really was out of caution,” she said. “Safety is always our first priority for our students.”
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INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — Two police officers and a court employee were shot and wounded Thursday while serving an eviction at a home in Independence, Missouri, authorities said.
Independence Police Department spokesperson Officer Jack Taylor said the two officers were taken to a hospital, and their conditions were not immediately known. One person was arrested, he said.
The 16th Judicial Court of Missouri said a court process server also was shot by someone inside the home while serving an eviction notice.
“We are devastated that a court employee, who is a public servant, was shot by a member of the public while performing their job,” Presiding Judge Jalilah Otto said in a statement. “Our hearts are heavy and our thoughts are with our employee, our entire Court family, and the Independence Police Department.”
Taylor said no details are immediately available about what led to the shooting. A news conference is planned for later, he said.
Helicopter video from KMBC-TV showed emergency vehicles converged around an isolated house in the middle of a field. The media was cordoned off in an area about 1 mile (1.61 kilometers) from the crime scene. The area was a mixture of woods and farmland with a smattering of houses on large, multi-acre lots. A church was mixed in among the houses.
Independence is a suburb of Kansas City, with about 122,000 residents.
Capt. Ronda Montgomery of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said she could confirm that police officers were shot, but that she couldn’t comment further. She said it’s under the jurisdiction of the Independence police and that it’s their scene.
Schools in the Fort Osage School District were locked down for about 20-30 minutes until authorities gave the all-clear, spokesperson Stephanie Smith said.
“The incident occurred several miles from our nearest school, so it really was out of caution,” she said. “Safety is always our first priority for our students.”
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INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — Authorities said two police officers were shot and wounded Thursday in Independence, Missouri.
Independence Police Department spokesperson Officer Jack Taylor said the two officers were taken to a hospital, and their conditions were not immediately known. One person was arrested, he said.
Independence Police Officer Kelley Rupert said a process server — a person who typically helps serve warrants — was also injured.
Taylor said no details are immediately available about what led to the shooting. A news conference is planned for later, he said.
Helicopter video from KMBC-TV showed emergency vehicles converged around an isolated house in the middle of a field. The media was cordoned off in an area about 1 mile (1.61 kilometers) from the crime scene. The area was a mixture of woods and farmland with a smattering of houses on large, multi-acre lots. A church was mixed in among the houses.
Independence is a suburb of Kansas City, with about 122,000 residents.
The Police Department said in a Facebook post that there were reports of shots fired near a residence in the area.
Capt. Ronda Montgomery of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said she could confirm that police officers were shot, but that she couldn’t comment further. She said it’s under the jurisdiction of the Independence police and that it’s their scene.
Schools in the Fort Osage School District were locked down for about 20-30 minutes until authorities gave the all-clear, spokesperson Stephanie Smith said.
“The incident occurred several miles from our nearest school, so it really was out of caution,” she said. “Safety is always our first priority for our students.”
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INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — Authorities said two police officers were shot and wounded Thursday in Independence, Missouri.
Independence Police Department spokesperson Officer Jack Taylor said the two officers were taken to a hospital, and their conditions were not immediately known. One person was arrested, he said.
Independence Police Officer Kelley Rupert said a process server — a person who typically helps serve warrants — was also injured.
Taylor said no details are immediately available about what led to the shooting. A news conference is planned for later, he said.
Helicopter video from KMBC-TV showed emergency vehicles converged around an isolated house in the middle of a field. The media was cordoned off in an area about 1 mile (1.61 kilometers) from the crime scene. The area was a mixture of woods and farmland with a smattering of houses on large, multi-acre lots. A church was mixed in among the houses.
Independence is a suburb of Kansas City, with about 122,000 residents.
The Police Department said in a Facebook post that there were reports of shots fired near a residence in the area.
Capt. Ronda Montgomery of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said she could confirm that police officers were shot, but that she couldn’t comment further. She said it’s under the jurisdiction of the Independence police and that it’s their scene.
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INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — Authorities said two police officers were shot and wounded Thursday in Independence, Missouri.
Independence Police Department spokesperson Officer Jack Taylor said the two officers were taken to a hospital, and their conditions were not immediately known. One person was arrested, he said.
Independence Police Officer Kelley Rupert said a process server — a person who typically helps serve warrants — was also injured.
The Police Department said in a Facebook post that there were reports of shots fired near a residence.
Taylor said no details are immediately available about what led to the shooting.
Capt. Ronda Montgomery of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said she could confirm that police officers were shot, but that she couldn’t comment further. She said it’s under the jurisdiction of the Independence police and that it’s their scene.
Police will provide updates as more information becomes available.
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KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities were at a residence near Elsea Smith Road and Bundschu Road in Independence on Thursday, according to a social media report from police.
There were reports of shots fired around that residence. Two officers have been transported with gunshot wounds. One person was arrested, according to Independence Police Department spokesperson Officer Jack Taylor.
Check the Post for additional details as they become available.