KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri State Highway Patrol has done its “due diligence” in regard to the fatal shooting of a Kansas City, Missouri, man by a KCPD officer, according to a spokesperson.
Sgt. Bill Lowe told media during a press conference Tuesday afternoon that its investigators have obtained video and spoken to witnesses from the March 25 incident at a BP gas station that left 31-year-old Malcolm Johnson dead.
“We have done our due diligence and done it in a very integral way,” Lowe said. “The only way we can do our job is [to] do it impartially. And by doing that, we can only relay certain information to the public. But I want to assure the public that any investigation that we conduct will be done in a thorough manner with integrity to the investigation.”
Shortly after the shooting, MSHP Sgt. Andy Bell said that there was a struggle between Johnson and officers. A representative for Johnson’s family disputed that account.
However, Pastor Darren Edwards said during a press conference earlier Tuesday that efforts to contact MSHP were denied.
“I felt like I was interrogated,” Edwards told 41 Action News. “I felt like being in partnership with them I should have gotten a little better treatment. I felt like I was under investigation.”
However, Lowe said Edwards’ comments that he was “denied anything” from MSHP was “categorically incorrect,” reiterating that Edwards spoke with an investigator regarding video of the shooting.
“The investigator told him, we would, we want the opportunity to see that evidence,” Lowe said. “He was additionally provided the resource of another investigator to meet with him to review any of that evidence that he may have. Mr. Edwards said he would call our investigator back, we have still yet to receive that phone call.”
The investigation still is open and will remain so “until Mr. Edwards decides to give us that evidence,” according to Lowe.
“Today we stand firm in our initial statement that the suspect had a handgun,” Lowe said.
