Capital murder trial in killing of North Kansas City officer to begin next week
In July 2022, North Kansas City police officer Daniel Vasquez pulled over a gray Ford Taurus for an expired temporary tag. As he approached the vehicle, the driver allegedly pulled a gun and fatally shot him.
Vasquez’s killing triggered a statewide “Blue Alert” — issued when a law enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of duty — and sparked a manhunt that lasted for hours, until Joshua T. Rocha walked into a Clay County government building and surrendered.
On Monday, Rocha is set to stand trial in the killing, with opening statements beginning at 9 a.m. at the Clay County Courthouse in Liberty. Jury selection began last week, with jurors drawn from a pool of St. Charles County residents.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Rocha, who recently turned 28, if he is convicted.
The 32-year-old Vasquez joined the North Kansas City Police Department in January 2021 as a recruit officer and was promoted to full officer after graduating from the KCPD Regional Police Academy in July 2021, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
North Kansas City Police Department Chief Kevin Freeman described Vasquez as “a shining star” for the department. He was the first police officer killed in the line of duty in the department’s history.
Stopped for expired temporary tag
The July 19, 2022 shooting shattered what had been a quiet morning in the metro.
It was about 10:40 a.m. when Vasquez conducted the stop near 21st Avenue and Clay Street in North Kansas City. The car, an early 2000s gray Ford Taurus, had an expired tag.
According to court documents, the dashboard camera allegedly showed that as Vasquez approached the car, a man wearing a dark T-shirt, shorts and black shoes shot the officer in the face through a partially opened driver’s side door.
The man then got out of the sedan and allegedly fired two more times at Vasquez, who was lying in the street. The man then got back into the car and drove away.
Vasquez was taken to North Kansas City Hospital and died there while preparations were underway to move him to another trauma center.
Meanwhile, a wireless emergency alert was sent out to cell phones in the metro.
‘Couldn’t go to jail’
The killing touched off a massive response from law enforcement that led investigators to a residence in Kansas City’s Davidson neighborhood in the Northland.
During surveillance of the home, Kansas City detectives saw a juvenile leave a residence associated with Rocha. Tactical officers stopped the car, and the girl told police Rocha was among the people who lived there.
When investigators knocked on the door, they were met by Rocha’s mother. She allegedly said that Rocha had returned around 11 a.m. to the home, where they rent a room, and appeared “distraught,” a detective wrote in a search warrant application.
His mother recalled him saying, “I really (expletive) up this time and I shot a police officer.” She told police Rocha was concerned about having a fully automatic assault rifle “that he made” and “that he couldn’t go to jail.”
She said her son left the house before the police arrived, after changing his clothes. He also left his cellphone there.
Surrendered hours after shooting
Rocha surrendered later that afternoon at the Clay County Annex, 1901 NE 48th Street, in Kansas City, North. After walking inside, he told an employee that he “needed to turn himself in.”
When asked why, he allegedly replied, “I committed murder.”
The employee called 911, and police arrested Rocha without incident.
While being questioned by detectives, Rocha allegedly described the events leading up to the shooting. He told police he was on his way to a gun shop to buy ammunition for his assault-style rifle.
While en route, a police officer pulled him over. Before stopping, Rocha advised that he reached over and placed his rifle in his lap. He allegedly told detectives that he shot the officer as soon as he was at the driver’s side door and looking into the window.
After the officer fell backwards, Rocha told detectives that he got out of his car and shot the officer again as he lay on the ground, according to court documents. Rocha said the firearm malfunctioned, but he was able to clear it and shoot the officer again.
Rocha allegedly said he shot the officer because he didn’t want to go to jail or have his vehicle towed, according to court documents. He also said the firearm he used was still in his car.
Firearms experts at the Kansas City Police Department’s Regional Crime Lab compared three cartridge cases found at the shooting scene and determined that they were fired from an American Tactical brand firearm found in Rocha’s car, according to court documents.
Prosecutors initially charged Rocha with first-degree murder and armed criminal action following Vasquez’s death. In March 2023, prosecutors filed a notice that they would seek the death penalty.
Rocha has pleaded not guilty.
