A 25-year-old male carjacking suspect died after exchanging gunfire with police officers near 18th and Parallel on Sunday.
A spokesman for the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department stated in a news release that Kansas City, Missouri, officers were trying to make a traffic stop on the suspect near Independence Avenue and Benton Boulevard at 11:30 a.m. Sunday when the suspect refused to yield, and fled.
Kansas City, Missouri, police officers pursued the suspect’s vehicle into Kansas City, Kansas, where Kansas City, Kansas, officers joined at 11:42 a.m., the spokesman stated.
At 11:47 a.m. the pursuit ended when the suspect’s vehicle crashed behind a convenience store at 18th and Parallel, according to the spokesman.
The Kansas City, Kansas, police spokesman stated that the initial investigation, including a review of footage from in-car and body cameras worn by all the officers involved, showed that the suspect exited the vehicle carrying a handgun and ran west toward 18th Street.
During a foot pursuit the suspect turned and fired at police, who returned fire, striking him, the spokesman stated. The suspect was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.
The original carjacking incident was reported shortly before noon on Thursday, June 17, near 18th and Garfield in Kansas City, Kansas. The carjacking victim told officers he was giving the suspect a ride when the suspect pulled out a handgun, placing him in fear for his life, and demanded the vehicle, the spokesman stated. The suspect then fled in the vehicle, a dark Ford Expedition with gold trim, according to the spokesman.
Questions such as how many shots were fired, if more than one officer fired, and what agencies may have been involved in the shooting have not been answered yet and could be part of the investigation being conducted by a multi-agency task force.
The multi-agency task force is made up of members of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department and the Wyandotte County district attorney’s office, the spokesman stated.
Anyone with information or with video footage from this incident is asked to contact the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS, the police spokesman stated.