READ: North Kansas City Police officer Daniel Vasquez killed in line of duty
UPDATE, 2:45 p.m. | Authorities confirmed that North Kansas City Police officer Daniel Vasquez died from injuries during a shooting Tuesday morning while conducting a traffic stop.
UPDATE, 1:51 p.m. | A person of interest in the shooting of a North Kansas City police officer is now in custody, Clay County Sheriff Will Akin confirmed.
The Blue Alert was officially canceled by MSHP.
NKC Mayor Bryant DeLong did not provide an update on the officer’s condition.
“It’s just a sad day for North Kansas City,” DeLong said.
UPDATE, 1:07 p.m. | Clay County Sheriff Will Akin said the suspect vehicle from a shooting that left a North Kansas City police officer seriously injured during a traffic stop is a gray early 2000s model Ford Taurus.
The vehicle has a temporary tag — 03GU43 — which expired in 2018 and was originally issued for a Buick.
Akin did not offer an update on the condition of the unnamed officer, who was injured in the shooting.
Police, including federal law enforcement along with officers from nearby cities and counties, are assisting with the investigation. The current focus is reviewing traffic cameras in NKC to determine where the suspect and vehicle went after the shooting.
“This is an all-hands on deck type of response, because we don’t know where the suspect is now, but he’s perhaps in somebody else’s community," Akin said. "… We need to catch him, so he doesn’t do harm to someone else.”
NKC Mayor Bryant DeLong is expected to address reporters and the community at 1:30 p.m. with an update.
UPDATE, 12:37 p.m. | A male North Kansas City Police officer is believed to be in life-threatening condition after being struck by gunfire, according to Clay County Sheriff Will Akin in a press briefing.
Akin says the officer was stopping the vehicle on a traffic violation for expired temporary tags.
Multiple agencies are assisting in locating the suspect vehicle, which Aiken says is an "earlier model" gray Ford Taurus.
Backup arrived to the scene shortly after the shooting, the sheriff said.
"Traffic stops — any kind of vehicle stops is the number one most dangerous situation that a police officer can be in," Akin said.
Akin says the Sheriff's office is currently assuming that the shooting is life-threatening. The officer was transported to North Kansas City Hospital. Additional updates on on the officer's condition are not known at this time.
There is no reason to believe the suspect is a further threat to the NKC area, according to Akin.
ORIGINAL STORY | The Missouri State Highway Patrol has issued a Blue Alert after a law enforcement officer was shot in the line of duty in North Kansas City, Missouri.
MSHP says the incident took place at 10:41 a.m. Tuesday on 21st Avenue in NKC. The officer was shot at a traffic stop and has been transported to a hospital with serious injuries. The officer's current condition is not known.
The suspect reportedly was traveling westbound on 21st Avenue from Clay Street.
A suspect exited the vehicle at a traffic stop and began firing at the officer, MSHP says.
The alert identifies a gray Ford Taurus with Missouri temporary tag reading 03GU43 as a suspect vehicle. Officials are actively searching for the suspect information.
— Missouri State Highway Patrol Alerts (@MSHPAlerts) July 19, 2022
MSHP says additional updates will be posted as they are known.
A Blue Alert is authorized when a law enforcement officer is either killed or seriously injured in the line of duty, an officer is missing in connection their official duties, or there is a credible and imminent threat to kill or seriously injure an officer. Actionable information on a suspect is also needed, and the law enforcement agency approves the alert.
— Missouri State Highway Patrol Alerts (@MSHPAlerts) February 5, 2021
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For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.
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.
