‘We are a broken family.’ Independence police mourn officer & worker killed in shooting
An Independence police officer and Jackson County process server were killed Thursday afternoon and two other officers injured while serving an eviction notice at a rural Independence home.
Officer Cody Allen, 35, died at an Independence hospital after the shooting, authorities said in a late afternoon news conference. Drexel Mack, 42, a civil process server with the Jackson County Circuit Court, also was shot and killed.
“I don’t want it to be lost on anyone that Officer Allen is a hero,” said Independence Police Chief Adam Dustman. “He did exactly what the men and women of law enforcement are called to do day in and day out.
“And I could not be more proud of him and his service to this community. “
Presiding Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Jalilah Otto spoke of Mack, who has been with the court for more than 12 years.
“It is with a very, very heavy heart that we lost one of our own, Drexel Mack, simply doing his job, serving eviction papers,” Otto said. “What he does is integral to the work that we do in Jackson County. He’s a true public servant and he lost his life doing his job today.
“We are devastated for the loss that we as a court have suffered.”
A suspect is in custody, authorities said, but they would not elaborate further. The Missouri Highway Patrol is handling the shooting investigation, Dustman said.
The police chief would not discuss details of the events that led to the shooting or anything involving the suspect’s injuries.
Allen is the second Independence officer to be fatally shot in the line of duty in recent years.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families,” Dustman said. “And this entire community is devastated again by the senseless tragedies.”
“... I told our staff this is something that should never become normal, should never become routine. We are broken. I’ll just be very candid; we are a broken family. But as any other family, we will surround each other and lift each other up.”
The two other officers who “took gunshot rounds” are expected to make a full recovery, Dustman said. One underwent surgery and the other suffered minor injuries.
Dustman said he wanted to “express my heartfelt and sincere appreciation and pride in the men and women of our entire metro law enforcement community that responded without hesitation and assisted us not only in extracting our wounded officers and Mr. Mack, but also in handling the rest of the call and the calls for service in our city.”
Dustman said Allen “always had a smile.“
“He was the guy that when you went out on a call, he would be there and he would defuse things in a moment’s notice,” he said. “He was right there to back you up. “
Mack — a father of adult children — has a fiancee who lives in the area, Otto said. He also has some family here and more in Florida.
Mack’s loss will be felt, Otto said.
“Drexel has been a fixture (at the court) for over a decade,” Otto said. “He’s beloved by many, kind and a hard worker. So we’re still fighting through it.
“.... We have over 700 employees. This is going to affect us very, very much in the next weeks and months.”
This story was originally published February 29, 2024 at 6:41 PM.
