Grieving KCK rallies around police department after second officer is killed in two months

Not long after police officers in Kansas City, Kan., rushed to the hospital, fearing the worst about one of their own, the Rev. Tony Carter got the first of many calls.

“I hate to say this, but I thought, ‘Here we go again,’ ” said Carter, pastor of Salem Baptist Church. “I just felt sick. … It’s frustrating that our community continues to hurt in this way.”

He knew the city and police department were still grieving the May 9 shooting death of Detective Brad Lancaster. Now, just 10 weeks later, it was Capt. Robert Melton who had been killed in the line of duty.

As Melton’s family and fellow officers rushed to University of Kansas Hospital to grieve yet again, the Rev. Jimmie Banks was there for support and to show that the community stands by its police department.

“The grief was heavy,” said Banks, pastor of Strangers Rest Baptist Church. “I saw families coming in and friends and comrades, people who shared the beat and car with the captain. It’s a tragedy — a shameful tragedy.”

Police officers across Kansas and the nation immediately reached out to the department, almost in disbelief that Kansas City, Kan., would soon be burying another officer.

“It is an incredibly emotional and humbling experience to sit in a room filled with police chiefs from around the state when they receive a death notification,” Jennifer Duffy, executive director of the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, said in a written statement. “Our hearts are breaking for the Kansas City PD and these officers’ families.

“More humbling is the fact that Captain Melton’s brothers and sisters in blue will put their uniforms back on tomorrow and continue to sacrifice themselves for our communities.”

Before Lancaster, the Kansas City, Kan., department hadn’t had an officer die in the line of duty since 1998, when Sgt. Richard James Asten was hit by a stolen vehicle while trying to deploy a device to puncture its tires.

The deaths of two officers in just 2 1/2 months come at a time when attacks on police officers nationwide have become an all too common occurrence.

“When you are in public service, there to protect and serve, you don’t expect this from people who call 911 and expect you to show up,” Banks said. “It’s a shameful act, carried out by people who have no idea how much pain and misery their actions have caused.”

Before Tuesday’s shooting, a small group of pastors planned to meet Tuesday afternoon with Mayor Mark Holland to discuss the recent slate of police-involved shootings nationwide and ambushes of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La. Eight officers were killed in those cities, and several more were wounded.

The goal of that small meeting and a larger one scheduled for Wednesday morning is to head off anything like that happening here.

“We’re trying to be proactive,” said the Rev. C.L. Bachus, senior pastor at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, “to make sure we have some understanding of what everyone was trying to do to keep balance in our city.”

The death of Melton served as a reminder of what officers face every day and how the community must come together to support them, ministers agreed.

“We do need to know we have to have police officers and respect them if they’re going to go out and do their job every day,” Bachus said. “You don’t want to live in a community without police officers, I’ll tell you that right now.”

In light of police officer deaths in recent weeks, Dennis Dewey said he was praying for area police officers. The longtime chaplain went on a ride-along with the Kansas City Police Department recently and visited roll call as well.

Some police officers have told him they feel like they have a target on their backs, he said. Others just shrug off the shadow of new danger.

“This is by far the most, I guess, time of greatest crisis or concern that I’ve seen,” said Dewey, a chaplain with the Kansas City department since 1993.

There’s also been a flip side to this recent darkness, Dewey said. In the midst of the deaths in Dallas and protests across America, there have been more spontaneous acts of appreciation.

Dewey recalled officers being thanked in recent days and being told someone would pray for them.

“I’m thankful that the officers are getting that kind of feedback,” Dewey said. “I guess I would just say, ‘Let’s do it more. Let’s let them know.’ ”

Within minutes of Melton’s shooting, that’s what many were doing through social media.

Lenexa police tweeted a simple message for the Kansas City, Kan., department: “Lift them up.”

Phoenix Suns coach Earl Watson also wanted to reach out. Watson, who graduated from Washington High School in 1997, knows the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. His brother, Dwayne Hooks, was shot in 2014 and died three days later after developing blood clots. Hooks was a retired police officer.

Watson posted a heartfelt message on his Facebook page. ESPN’s Marc Spears tweeted a screenshot of the message:

“Saddened today to read about my city of KCK.

“Saddened that today an officer’s life was taken from gun violence.

“Saddened that I constantly read about the gun violence in KCK.

“Disappointed that people actually believe retaliation is ‘cool’ or justified.

“Disappointed that my friends & family who are police officers are now looked upon as ‘them.’

“Disappointed that it’s a social divide.

“Whoever said violence is the way lied.

“And if I’m not ‘cool’ for posting this, then I do not care to be COOL at all. I’m not looking for votes.

“I’m me. Won’t change to be cool. I actually dislike ‘cool’!

“It’s time to realize that ALL SOULS MATTER!

“All!

“Prayers to the family...

“#RIPCaptainMilton”

This story was originally published July 19, 2016 at 8:17 PM with the headline "Grieving KCK rallies around police department after second officer is killed in two months."