Police shoot man allegedly fleeing after prowler call at Independence apartments
Police shot a man Sunday morning while responding to a report of prowlers attempting to get into vehicles at an Independence apartment complex, according to a police spokesman.
A police investigation of the shooting continued at a scene three miles away, where the injured suspect allegedly crashed a truck at a ramp leading to Interstate 70.
The man was arrested and taken to a hospital with injuries that police said did not appear to be life-threatening.
Hours later, it was unclear exactly what prompted police to fire their weapons. Officer John Syme, an Independence Police Department spokesman, said the investigation of the shooting would likely take time.
“Our policy only allows them to do that when somebody’s life is at risk under a situation like that,” Syme said. “That is part of the investigation. We have a very lengthy investigation whenever we have an officer-involved shooting.”
Police were called to the Pepperwood Apartments in the 19400 block of East 37th Terrace Court S about 8:45 a.m. Sunday after someone reported seeing two men and a woman prowling in the parking lot, Syme said.
When arriving officers confronted the suspects, an altercation ensued and officers fired their weapons, Syme said.
At least one police vehicle was rammed by a truck the suspects were using, Syme said. One of the suspects fled in the truck and crashed about three miles away on the ramp to westbound Interstate 70 from Lee’s Summit Road.
The man driving the truck was hit by police gunfire, Syme said. He was arrested and taken to a hospital.
The other two suspects, a man and a woman, ran from the apartments and police did not immediately find them. Descriptions of the suspects were not available.
Police said a gun was seized at the apartment complex and another gun was found at scene of the wreck.
No police officers were physically injured in the incident, Syme said.
Witnesses
Ontario Smith, who has lived at the apartments for about a month, said he heard the sirens Sunday morning but didn’t think much about it because Centerpoint Medical Center is nearby.
He assumed it was only an ambulance headed to the hospital. Then there was gunfire.
“I heard the gunshots, so I popped up out of bed,” Smith said. “I came out on the balcony and I just seen the police car smashed up and they were just chasing after the guy.”
Smith learned that a woman saw someone going through cars, stealing items and tossing those items into their vehicle.
“I thought it was crazy,” said Smith, who said he sometimes leaves his wallet in his car. “It is definitely something to think about. Like dang, I need to pay more attention if something like that is happening.”
Dennis O’Brien, who lives at the apartment complex, said he was shocked to see the crime scene tape when he stepped outside his unit Sunday morning.
He’s lived at the apartments for six years and it has been a quiet neighborhood, he said. He didn’t know whether to continue to go out or not when he saw the crime scene tape. He went and told his wife that he had find out what was happening.
“I’m just as curious as everyone else is to find out what really happened,” he said.
Police continued to investigate. Officers brought a police dog and were searching the area around the ramp to I-70.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow we did this story
When police responded to the crash at the Interstate 70 ramp, a Star reporter went to the scene to gather information. As news of the police shooting developed, a Star photographer went to the shooting scene to interview witnesses. A reporter interviewed a police spokesman.
This story was originally published September 1, 2019 at 11:33 AM.
