Suspect in robbery, Independence car salesman’s shooting killed by Clay County deputy
A man suspected of stealing a gun from a Liberty sporting goods store Thursday before shooting a car salesman in Independence was shot and killed by a Clay County deputy, according to officials.
The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Jeffery Dale Millsap, was killed in the 19800 block of NE 172nd Street near Holt, Missouri, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office earlier said he was 28.
The series of incidents began about 11 a.m. when store employees at Academy Sports + Outdoors at 269 South Stewart Road in Liberty called police to report a man stole a gun. Employees scattered out of the store and, amid the chaos, witnesses were not sure if the suspect had left, according to police.
Officers cleared the store and did not find the suspect, according to Capt. Matt Kellogg of the Liberty Police Department. Police were investigating the incident as an armed robbery.
Investigators learned the suspect had tried to buy a handgun but was denied the purchase, according to police. He then pulled out a knife, jumped over the counter and took the firearm he had tried buying, police said in a statement. No one was injured.
About a half-hour later in Independence, officers were called to a car dealership at East Rankin and Noland roads, where they found a car salesman who had been shot multiple times.
The salesman and the suspect engaged in a short conversation inside one of the dealership’s buildings just before the shooting, said Officer Jodi Grooms, a police spokesperson. The victim suffered serious injuries, she said.
Police said they had information about the suspect’s vehicle and had linked the shooting to the theft of the gun from Academy Sports in Liberty. The paperwork completed when the man tried to buy the firearm included his name and address — information that was broadcast by regional dispatchers to several agencies, according to police.
Just after noon, about 30 minutes following the Independence shooting, police officers and Clay County deputies spotted the suspect’s vehicle in Kearney, according to Capt. Will Akin, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office. Law enforcement attempted to stop the vehicle, but it fled and a chase began, Akin said.
Akin said the man drove to a home he was associated with on NE 172nd Street, about 30 miles northeast of the car dealership. It was unclear if the man lived at the home, but his father and sister were inside, according to the sheriff’s office.
It remained unclear what prompted the deputy to shoot. A Kearney officer was present, but did not fire, Akin said.
The Missouri Highway Patrol is investigating the shooting.
When The Star called the Academy Sports + Outdoors store, an employee told a reporter: “We have no comment.” The store referred questions to its corporate offices. In a statement, the company said it was cooperating with law enforcement.
“The safety of our team members and customers is our top priority,” Elise Hasbrook, a spokesperson, said in an email.
This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 1:40 PM.
