Independence police seek help in finding possible witness to officer-involved shooting

Independence police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a motorist who may have witnessed a fatal officer-involved shooting Monday morning in the 1800 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard.

Investigators released the photograph of an older model Toyota pickup truck that was in the area at the time of the shooting. The pickup has a gray bed and a red front end.

Police fatally shot Christopher K. Sales, 26, after he stole a patrol car and crashed it into a mobile home in Blue Summit.

Sales reportedly was driving a pickup truck that had been reported stolen out of Cass County when Independence police tried to pull him over at East 23rd Street and Westport Road, police said.

Sales sped away but crashed into a cemetery fence in the 1900 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard. He then fled on foot. Police found Sales lying in a wooded area, but he stood up and sprinted away again.

Police said Sales then jumped into one of the police cars. During the altercation, an officer shot the man once. Sales sped away in the police vehicle and crashed into a mobile home in the 1800 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard, police said.

Police stressed that the motorist and anyone else inside pickup are not suspects in the case. Investigators would like to speak with them about what they may have seen during the incident.

Anyone with information should call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477) or the Independence police at 816-325-7777.

This story was originally published August 9, 2017 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Independence police seek help in finding possible witness to officer-involved shooting."