Felony murder charges filed for double fatal wreck during police pursuit in KCK

Charges have been filed against a 20-year-old Kansas City, Kan., man who was allegedly fleeing from police when two passengers in the car he was driving were killed in a crash.

Zackery Smith was charged Wednesday in Wyandotte County District Court with two counts of first-degree felony murder and one count each of felony interference with law enforcement, felony eluding and driving without a license.

The crash occurred Monday afternoon at 94th Street and Parallel Parkway. Jason Edwards, 27, of Kansas City, and Amber Bledsoe, 23, of Prairie Village, were killed in the wreck.

Smith was also injured and was taken to a hospital. On Wednesday, he was released from the hospital and booked into jail. His bond is set at $50,000.

Kansas City, Kan., police said that officers were pursuing suspects from a reported shoplifting at Cabela’s in the western part of the city.

A 1996 Lexus driven by Smith was northbound on 94th Street. He was attempting to turn onto Parallel when the Lexus and a westbound 2015 Ford F-150 collided, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

The 55-year-old man driving the truck was also taken to a hospital for treatment.

This story was originally published October 4, 2017 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Felony murder charges filed for double fatal wreck during police pursuit in KCK."