INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — An officer from the Independence Police Department was involved in a shooting Thursday night.
According to the Eastern Jackson County Police Involved Incident Team, an Independence patrol officer tried to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation around 9:45 p.m. in the area of Sterling and 23rd Street.
The vehicle fled from the officer and continued west on 23rd Street.
Police say as the vehicle passed under Interstate 435, it was involved in a traffic accident with another vehicle.
The Eastern Jackson County Police Involved Incident Team says the driver then exited the vehicle and fled on foot, running north up the southbound highway off-ramp.
As the suspect was fleeing, investigators say he fired a weapon at the officer pursuing him on foot.
Police say the officer returned fire and struck the suspect.
The suspect died on the scene.
According to the initial, on-scene investigation, there were four people inside the vehicle the suspect had crashed into.
All of those people were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
The officer involved in the incident was not hurt.
The Eastern Jackson County Police Involved Incident Team says several items of physical evidence were recovered at the scene, including a firearm near the deceased suspect.
The Eastern Jackson County Police Involved Incident Team is comprised of members from the Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, Grandview and Independence Police Departments.
The team is tasked with conducting an investigation independent of the agency directly involved in the incident.
Once complete, their findings will be reviewed by the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office.
—
If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
