Stolen-car stop ends with suspect shot by KC police

A suspect running from police climbed through an opening in a fence and came face to face with a tactical officer in a Kansas City neighborhood Thursday afternoon.

The officer said the suspect pointed a gun at him as they stood about two feet apart in a vacant, mowed lot. The officer shot the suspect, who dropped to his knees and ejected his handgun’s magazine, which fell on the ground. He then threw the gun behind him, over the fence, before collapsing.

He died at the scene in the 2600 block of Jackson Avenue. Police did not release his name.

The death came on a day when the city saw two other killings, and it was the seventh killing in seven days.

Police Capt. Rich Lockhart gave this account of the incident, which began about 3:15 p.m. when officers stopped a stolen car in the 1700 block of Van Brunt Boulevard:

As the officers walked up to the car, the driver sped away. The officers did not chase the car because that was not allowed under department policy. But a police helicopter was nearby, so it began following the vehicle. Other police officers “paralleled” on nearby streets.

The pilot reported that the driver was weaving through traffic and running several stop signs, even though no patrol cars were following him directly.

When the car reached the 2600 block of Norton Avenue, a passenger bailed out. The driver continued north. Other officers stopped and arrested him near 19th Street and Jackson Avenue.

Meanwhile, the passenger tried to find a way to cut through a backyard to get from Norton to Jackson. He ran through a yard and climbed through a fence that was overgrown with vegetation.

On the other side, he encountered a tactical officer assigned to the East Patrol Division.

Police said other officers and some neighbors witnessed the shooting. Crime-scene investigators recovered the suspect’s gun.

Officers closed several blocks in the area with yellow crime-scene tape and told neighbors they could not move their vehicles. Investigators were questioning witnesses and the driver of the stolen car Thursday night.

Several residents of the block said they heard a shot, but none of those contacted by The Star said they saw the shooting.

The shooting marked the second time police have killed a suspected gunman on that block. In March 2005, an officer followed a van that had hit another vehicle. The driver bailed with a gun in his hand, a scene recorded by the officer’s dashboard camera. The officer said Juan J. Jacquez, 20, ran into a yard, turned and pointed the gun at him. The officer fired once, killing Jacquez.

A large white cross in Jacquez’s memory remains in the front yard. It was only a few feet away from the crime-scene tape Thursday.

The Star’s Tony Rizzo contributed to this report. To reach Christine Vendel, call 816-234-4438 or send e-mail to cvendel@kcstar.com.