KCPD on fatal shootings: Man in fight pointed gun, woman with sword ran at cops

Kansas City police on Wednesday released new details about two separate police shootings last week that left three people dead in the same afternoon.

The details, provided in a written statement from the Kansas City Police Department, come after police have conducted an initial investigation of the shootings and while detectives continue to collect witness statements and evidence. The two shootings occurred within an hour of each other on Thursday, June 14.

The new information paints a clearer picture of what led up to the shooting in Barney Allis Plaza downtown, where two men who were reportedly fighting were both shot and killed by police officers.

The statement also described how police, an hour earlier, came to fatally shoot a woman with a sword in a Northland neighborhood.

According to police, the incident in Barney Allis Plaza, at 12th and Wyandotte streets, began shortly before 5 p.m. when Timothy Mosley of Tulsa, Okla., was thrown out of the nearby Marriott Hotel for causing a disturbance.

Mosley then allegedly walked into the plaza and used a handgun to rob a uniformed security guard of some personal property and a golf cart. The security guard escaped.

A short time later, someone called police to report that Mosley was fighting with another man, later identified as Robert A. White, 34.

White, who was homeless and struggled with mental illness, often spent time at the park, a relative said. Family members of both men said they didn't know whether the two knew each other.

In the plaza, the two men fought and separated several times over several minutes, during which time Mosley had the gun, according to police.

When told of Wednesday's police statement, White' sister, Andrea Kleindienst, said the new details confirmed to her that her brother was innocent.

"For us, this kind of exonerates my brother," Kleindienst said. "We felt he was gunned down and he should not have been. It is tragic for both families. It is kind of along the lines of what we felt happened. They murdered my brother."

The police statement Wednesday says that between the fights, Mosley "walked around Barney Allis Plaza holding the gun in the air and yelling."

But despite the violent confrontations, White did not leave the park, remaining at a nearby picnic table. Police said they are trying to learn why the men were fighting, why White remained at the park and whether the two had ever met before.

Police officers responding to the scene had been told that two men were fighting over a gun and possibly a golf cart. Shortly after officers arrived, Mosley "re-engaged White," according to police.

As the two were struggling and physically intertwined, police say, Mosley pointed the gun at officers.

Officers fired their guns, hitting both men.

The officers rendered first aid, but both men died.

Investigators recovered a semi-automatic handgun from the scene and one spent shell casing from a gun not belonging to police, matching the caliber of the recovered gun.

For Mosley's mother, Nella Mosley of Tulsa, the police statement was confusing and disturbing.

"They say he robbed a security guard? Why would he steal a golf cart?" she said. "I don't believe Timothy pointed a gun at anyone. Until I see a video of him putting a gun on police, I won't believe it."

Kansas City police officers generally don't wear body cameras.

The only video of the shooting that has been seen publicly is footage from the phone of a witness through the window of a nearby building. It shows Mosley fighting with White and the police arriving. But Mosley and White are obscured by trees when police shoot.

Mosley's family is preparing for his funeral and grieving over the death of the 33-year-old barber and stand-up comedian who had left Tulsa in mid-May to come to Kansas City.

"His spirit is gone, but the truth will prevail," Nella Mosley said. "The truth's going to come out. I'm praying about it."

Mosley had had some encounters with law enforcement in the past. He was arrested by Tulsa police in June 2015 when officers found him at a casino, apparently under the influence of alcohol, with a handgun in his pocket.

White also had a history with gun-related offenses, including a 2015 case of unlawful transport, manufacture, repair or sale of an illegal weapon.

After releasing the statement Wednesday, Kansas City police declined to answer further questions about the shootings, citing the ongoing investigations.

The investigation is being handled internally by Kansas City police, as is standard practice for the department.

Anyone who saw the shooting is asked to call the Police Department's homicide unit at 816-234-5148.

Wednesday's police statement also addressed the fatal shooting of a woman in the Northland about an hour before the Barney Allis Plaza incident.

The statement says that police shot the woman, 28-year-old Ashley Simonetti, after she ran at officers with a 27-inch steel sword.

Police identified Simonetti as Ashley Dean Fulkerson, which is her mother's last name.

According to police, the incident began about 1:30 p.m. when officers working in the area of Northeast 38th Street and North Jackson Avenue saw a woman, later identified as Simonetti, walking down the street with a sword.

She appeared to be headed toward a day care center. The officers tried to talk to her, but she ran.

Simonetti then tried unsuccessfully to enter several homes before breaking into a house where no one was home. The alarm system went off, and she locked the door behind her.

Because police considered Simonetti armed and because she would not leave the house, they initiated a procedure for an armed standoff. That procedure includes bringing more officers to the scene, including a tactical team and negotiators.

Police surrounded the house, and the nearby day care was placed on lockdown.

After about an hour and 20 minutes, Simonetti left the house and fled into a nearby detached garage, still carrying the sword. The homeowner said last Friday that Simonetti had entered his house through an unlocked door and took a decorative sword and put on a bridesmaid dress.

While she was fleeing, officers used several nonlethal tools to try to arrest her. Police did not immediately specify those tools on Wednesday but said "although she was struck numerous times, they were ineffective, which is very unusual."

Officers surrounded the garage to keep Simonetti from escaping. Trying to get her to surrender, they used negotiators, pepper spray and beanbag projectiles, without success.

Negotiators tried to talk to Simonetti by phone and through a public address system but received no response.

About 4 p.m. — "after being repeatedly instructed to disarm," police said — Simonetti left the garage and "ran toward officers with the sword."

Officers shot and killed Simonetti.

An ambulance was waiting nearby, and paramedics responded to help Simonetti. She died at the scene.

Police recovered the sword. No one else was injured.

In the statement Wednesday, police said the incidents were unfortunate and the deaths were tragedies.

"These were outcomes no one wanted," read the statement, released by police spokesman Capt. Lionel Colón. "Our community deserves to know what happens whenever police use lethal force, but investigators also need time to gather evidence and statements to conduct a thorough investigation."

This story was originally published June 20, 2018 at 1:22 PM with the headline "KCPD on fatal shootings: Man in fight pointed gun, woman with sword ran at cops."