Man accused of shooting Lee’s Summit police officer in custody, KBI says
A Kansas City area man who was wanted in connection with the shooting of a Lee’s Summit police officer is in custody, state police said in a news release.
A Blue Alert was canceled Tuesday after officers took Thomas Eugene Tolbert, 27, into custody, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
In the early morning hours, law enforcement received a tip that Tolbert might be inside a hotel at 204 N. Washington St. in Ellis, Kansas, the KBI said in a statement.
Officers from the Hays Police Department, deputies from the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office and KBI agents arrived at the hotel and safely took Tolbert into custody at around 4:50 a.m.
Tolbert was arrested on a Missouri warrant for first-degree assault or attempted serious physical injury, armed criminal action, unlawful possession of a firearm, resisting arrest or detention by fleeing, and second-degree domestic assault.
He was booked into the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office Jail.
In a social media post Tuesday, Lee’s Summit Police Chief Travis Forbes thanked law enforcement agencies for their help bringing Tolbert into custody.
“We are relieved to hear about the arrest of Thomas Tolbert, who was taken into custody early this morning in Ellis, Kansas. We are grateful to our law enforcement partners and especially the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for their swift and courageous work,” Forbes said on X.
“Our thoughts remain with our officer and their family and the recovery road ahead. The safety of our officers and community will always be our top priority.”
Police officer shot multiple times
Tolbert is charged in connection with the shooting a Lee’s Summit officer around 11 p.m. Sunday at the Residences at Echelon apartments in the 3500 block of Southwest Hollywood Drive.
According to court documents, the shooting happened when officers responded to a domestic disturbance at the apartments.
A woman told police that she got into an argument with Tolbert that turned violent.
He allegedly choked her and grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground, according to court documents. Tolbert allegedly then hit her while she was on the ground.
During the alleged attack, the woman grabbed her child and fled downstairs to call the police.
Two officers responded to the scene. While one officer was waiting for the other to arrive, he found a man, later identified as Tolbert, in the parking lot of the complex. The officer tried to obtain his identification, but Tolbert refused, according to court documents.
When the officer tried to detain Tolbert, he allegedly broke free and ran north through the parking lot, between two garage buildings, according to court documents.
The officer chased after Tolbert and as he rounded the garages. Tolbert then allegedly fired multiple shots, striking the officer four times — in the left leg, left arm, the chest of his body armor and the shoulder.
During their investigation, police found six 10mm shell casings at the scene.
The officer, who has not been publicly named, joined the Lee’s Summit Police Department about 1 1/2 years ago, according to Sgt. Chris Depue, Lee’s Summit Police Department spokesman. The officer has between seven and nine years of total law enforcement experience.
The officer was recovering after surgery in a hospital Monday, Depue said.
Criminal history includes shooting at law enforcement
According to online court records, Tolbert was convicted in 2017 and 2019 for unlawful use of a weapon and assault charges. The 2019 case was filed after Tolbert fired shots at police officers during a chase, according to a Kansas City Police Department spokesperson.
In the 2017 case, he pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a weapon and was sentenced to four years in prison. In the 2019 case, he entered an Alford plea and was sentenced to five years in prison. A judge ruled the sentences in the two cases were to run concurrently.
Tolbert was currently on an 18-month probation term that started in April 2024 for weapon possession charges, according to a spokesperson from the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Tolbert was charged Monday with five felonies in Jackson County Circuit Court. No court events have yet been scheduled in the case.
Previous reporting by The Star’s Robert A. Cronkleton and Nathan Pilling contributed.
This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 7:42 AM.
