One is dead and two are wounded after a shooting at a market at 81 N. Mill Street in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a police spokesman.
Officers went to the location about 3:08 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, on a shooting call.
Officers saw a woman who was suffered serious injuries inside the market when they arrived, the Kansas City, Kansas, police spokesman stated.
As they entered the market, the officers saw a suspect who pointed a handgun at officers, according to the spokesman.
Officers fired at the suspect and withdrew from the market to seek cover, the spokesman stated.
After two hours of negotiations, the suspect was taken into custody with a gunshot wound and was taken to a hospital, the spokesman stated.
Officers cleared the market, and one person was found dead from gunshot wounds, the spokesman stated.
No officers were injured, the spokesman stated. At this time, police believe the person who was taken into custody was the alleged shooter of the two victims, according to the spokesman.
The shooting is under investigation by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division, which is encouraging anyone with information to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).
Police Chief Terry Zeigler has announced his retirement after 29 years of service with the department.
Zeigler will retire on Sept. 11, 2019, according to the announcement today from the Police Department.
“It has been an honor to serve the citizens of Kansas City, Kansas, and the men and women of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department for the last four and a half years as chief of police,” Zeigler said in a statement.
”The men and women of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department are some of the finest folks in law enforcement today. Their dedication to service and duty has been a source of inspiration and motivation to me. I have had a front row seat to see all of the great work they are doing in our community because they care so deeply about it,” he stated.
Zeigler listed some of their work:
“The Department’s Community Policing program has gained international attention, particularly the way we engage our community with surveys about crime and quality of life issues. Officers have embraced the community policing philosophy at every level and work in partnership with our citizens to address their concerns in their neighborhoods, as well as, crime related issues. Our citizens have been the cornerstone of our crime reduction, as they are not afraid to take a stand against those who commit crimes in our community.
“In 2015, the Department adopted a mandatory Crisis Intervention Team training program. As of today, 80% of the officers are CIT certified. We have adopted the same mandatory training program for members of our Dispatch Unit.
“The establishment of Project ACT and ICON as the premier crime fighting initiatives in our city. The ICON initiative received $700,000 in federal funding for its innovative crime fighting strategy. Overall crime in Kansas City, Kansas dropped nearly 11% in 2018 over the previous year. Incidents of total crimes decreased from 8,810 in 2017 to 7,850 in 2018. Homicides declined by 14.6%, while drive-by shootings showed the sharpest drop at 17.6% from the year before. In June of 1985, there were nine (9) reported homicides in our city and year to date we have had ten (10) homicides.
“Summer Cadet Program – A program that hires 18 high school students a year, for eight weeks, and teaches them life skills that they otherwise may not learn. Officers work to instill discipline in the cadets, a spirit of community service, and good citizenship. This program has won the support of many of our businesses because they understand the importance of helping set young adults up for future success in life.”
“Officers have and will continue to do an amazing job in spite of the difficulties we have faced over the last four and a half years. I am leaving the Department at a time when the leadership is strong, the morale is high, and community support and trust is steadfast,” Zeigler continued in his statement.
“A very special thank you to our citizens and businesses for the tremendous outpouring of support when we suffered the loss of Detective Brad Lancaster and Captain Robert Melton in 2016. It was very comforting to their families and our Department.
“Serving as a police officer is one of the noblest callings a person can answer and I encourage our citizens to consider a career in law enforcement with our Department. Be the change you want to see!”
Mayor David Alvey issued a statement this afternoon, saying, “On behalf of the citizens and businesses of Kansas City, Kansas I want to thank Chief Ziegler for his 29 years of service to our community. He will be remembered for his devotion to our citizens, his pride in his officers and staff, and his hard work and professionalism spanning nearly three decades. Our city is a better place because of Chief Ziegler’s commitment to protect and serve.”
County Administrator Doug Bach’s comment on the chief’s retirement: “Terry Zeigler has been a great Police Chief. He has led efforts to reduce crime and improve morale in the Police Department. I hired Chief Zeigler because I had great confidence in his ability and still do today. I did try to talk him out of retiring, but he decided he was ready for his next adventure in life. I will announce who I will be appointing as Acting Chief in a couple of weeks, while I develop a process and timeline to select the next Chief of Police for our community. KCK has a Police Department with dedicated men and women here to serve our community with professionalism and high standards.”
KCKCC soccer players signed to continue their careers at four-year universities include, top row, from left, Gustavo Palmieri, Grand Canyon; Reed Axthelm, UNC Greensboro; and Justin Hynes, South Carolina Upstate; middle row, Ethan Pfeifer, Rockhurst; Guilherme Grave, Oklahoma City; and Hector Valles, Mid-America Christian; bottom row, Fabian Keiblinger, Spring Hill; and Bruno Rovares, Shawnee State. (Photo illustration from Alan Hoskins)
by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Four-year colleges and universities are finding a soccer bonanza at Kansas City Kansas Community College
Eight Blue Devils will be continuing their soccer careers including three at the highest level, NCAA Division I. That’s the most ever for the program directed by head coach Ruben Rodriguez and assistant Burke Slusher.
Headed for NCAA DI universities are Reed Axthelm, a sophomore mid-fielder from Riverton, Wyoming, who will compete for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Gustavo Palmieri, a sophomore defender from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona; and Justin Hynes, a freshman defender from Bishops Stortford, England, University of South Carolina Upstate at Spartanburg.
Ethan Pfeifer, a sophomore defender from Wichita Maize, and Fabian Keiblinger, a freshman goalkeeper from Sitzenberg-Reidling, Austria, have signed with NCAA Division II universities, Pfeifer at Rockhurst and Keiblinger at Spring Hill in Mobile, Alabama.
Three sophomores have been recruited by NAIA universities – forward Guilherme Grave, Oklahoma City University; mid-fielder Hector Valles of Valencia, Spain, Mid-American Christian University in Oklahoma City; and mid-fielder Bruno Rovares of Sao Paulo, Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio. Grave played the 2016 and 2017 seasons at KCKCC and served as team manager the past season while completing his degree requirements.
That so many Blue Devils were recruited (only nine sophomores on the 2018 squad) is not by accident. The 2017 team qualified for the NJCAA DI national tournament for the first time in KCKCC history and the 2018 team led by Palmieri was named an All-America Academic team by the NJCAA. Boasting a 3.82 grade point average, Palmieri was named to the All-American Academic second team.
“I think our past success is a factor but the emphasis we put on academics is also a big reason why higher institutions are taking a look at our program,” Rodriguez said. “I think we’ve developed a good reputation of developing high quality student athletes and built a trust among schools actively recruiting our student athletes.”
There’s also emphasis on exposing Blue Devil players to four-year programs.
“We only play scrimmage games against four-year schools in the spring and fall pre-season,” Slusher said. The Blue Devils had scrimmages against five area colleges last season – Rockhurst, Benedictine, Park, Baker and William Jewell. Mid-America Nazarene is being added and “We’d love to schedule UMKC,” Slusher said.
NJCAA allows four playing dates in the spring and 22 in the fall.
“We’ve added some community colleges to our schedule this fall,” Rodriguez said. “It’s going to be a tough schedule but I expect we’ll have even more players recruited this coming year.”
