KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed Tuesday it will review the shooting death of Donnie Sanders.
Sanders was unarmed when he was shot and killed in March 2020 by a Kansas City, Missouri, police officer after allegedly fleeing a traffic stop.
A highway patrol spokesperson told 41 Action News that it had been asked to review the case by the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
The spokesperson said the prosecutor’s office had received information on KCPD's investigation into the Sanders shooting, but prosecutors now want state troopers to review the case as well.
Historically, KCPD has investigated its own ranks, even when a civilian is shot and killed by a on-duty officer.
The KCMO Board of Police Commissioners signed off on new guidance in June that would allow the Missouri State Highway Patrol to review all shootings involving KCPD officers.
Troopers are awaiting receipt of the completed case file from the prosecutor’s office to begin their review of the Sanders case, an MSHO spokesman said.
No timeline has not been set for completion of that review.
KCPD's initial investigation concluded that Sanders, 47, fled on foot after refusing to pull over for a traffic stop. A pursuing officer said Sanders he believed he was armed, but subsequent investigation determined that Sanders was not armed at the time he was shot to death.
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