Trial begins in killing of Lee’s Summit police officer shot at party in Westport

The trial for a man accused of fatally shooting an off-duty Lee’s Summit police officer is scheduled to begin Tuesday afternoon in Jackson County Circuit Court.

Sean D. Steward of Kansas City also faces armed criminal action charges in the Aug. 20, 2017 shooting.

Orr, 30, was off duty when he was fatally shot at a Sunday afternoon party at Californos restaurant in Westport.

Police said Orr, who also was a middle school resource officer, was not the intended target. He was an innocent bystander.

According to court records, a witness told investigators that they saw Steward fire a handgun at the party and run down a flight of stairs, exiting through a lower entrance of the restaurant.

The shooting happened after one man struck another in the face, causing him to fall to the floor. Steward allegedly fired into the crowd as he fled.

Steward allegedly sped away in a dark-color Dodge Charger. Another witness told police that several people at the party told her that Steward fired the shots that killed Orr and injured a woman.

On social media sites, police found photos from the party with names that witnesses said were identified with Steward. The photos had the Facebook names of “Stew Bird and Cuzzo Jay,” according to court records.

The man who was hit before the shooting was assaulted from behind and did not see the shooter, according to prosecutors.

Orr had been with the Lee’s Summit Police Department since March 2015 and began assignment as a middle school resource officer on Aug. 14. Before that, he had worked for the Marshall, Mo., Police Department.

Police at first said the victim was shot after arguing with another man. However, further investigation revealed that Orr was an innocent bystander who was not involved in the disturbance.

Witnesses said that Orr took photographs at the party.