Man shot by Independence police now facing a federal gun charge
A 43-year-old man shot Tuesday night by an Independence police officer was charged Friday with illegally possessing a firearm.
Brionne K. Campbell was charged by federal prosecutors in Kansas City with using illegal drugs while possessing a firearm.
According to documents filed in U.S. District Court, Independence officers were in the area of 96 Oak Hill Cluster after receiving reports of ongoing criminal activity in the area.
Two officers approached a car driven by a woman. As they began speaking to the woman, a man got out of the passenger seat and began running.
As he ran, Campbell allegedly pulled a handgun from a holster on his hip and a pursuing officer fired three or four shots, according to court documents.
He was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Court documents say police recovered a .40-caliber handgun and a bag containing about 28 grams of methamphetamine.
Later, detectives interviewed Campbell at the hospital. He told police that he and his roommate’s girlfriend were in the area that night to buy meth.
Campbell told officers that when police arrived he panicked and ran because of the drugs in the car, according to the allegations in the court documents.
Campbell said that when he was shot, he was trying to throw the gun, and yelled, “gun, I have a gun and I’m throwing it.”
He said he had the gun for protection because he was meeting someone he didn’t know to buy drugs.
The Independence Police Department also released a statement on Friday in regard to a witness statement The Star reported Wednesday. The witness said that the man police shot was holding a cellphone — not a handgun.
“Our investigation stands that the suspect produced a firearm and was shot by one of the officers who was defending his life,” Officer John Syme wrote in a statement. “We canvassed the neighborhood and were not contacted by any witnesses claiming the suspect was holding a cell phone.”
The department also included a photograph of the pistol its Crime Scene Technicians recovered at the scene.
This story was originally published September 7, 2018 at 4:20 PM.