Man allegedly armed with sword is fatally shot by Kansas City police

A man fatally shot by Kansas City police Wednesday night was a member of the area’s close-knit Micronesian community.

Police said the man, whose name had not been released, was armed with a “sword-like” object when he was shot.

The incident occurred shortly before midnight Wednesday outside a house in the 4200 block of Northwest 57th Terrace.

Two Missouri Highway Patrol troopers and two Kansas City officers had answered a call about a disturbance when they encountered the man in the rear of the house, police said.

The man allegedly became confrontational with officers and ignored their commands. He allegedly was threatening an officer when he was shot. He died at the scene.

Phillip Istalo, pastor of the Missouri Micronesian Church, said the man was a member of the congregation and was his wife’s cousin.

Istalo said he believed the man had lived in the Kansas City area about three years.

He worked for National Car Rental at Kansas City International Airport. A company spokeswoman said he had worked there as a “car prep” since May 2013.

Istalo said that his 30-member congregation is like a family and that members are grieving the man’s death.

The officer who fired the fatal shot has been placed on leave while the incident is investigated, police said. Once an investigation is completed, the case will be submitted to Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd to determine if any laws were broken.

It was the third fatal shooting involving Kansas City police this year.

This story was originally published October 9, 2014 at 7:14 AM with the headline "Man allegedly armed with sword is fatally shot by Kansas City police."