A former Kansas City police officer who said he was shot in the chest while working off-duty last fall has been charged in Jackson County Circuit Court with making a false police report.

Kelly Sapp, 53, faces a state misdemeanor charge for the incident that happened Sept. 14 while he patrolled a shopping center parking lot at 63rd Street and Blue Ridge Boulevard.

After investigating the incident last year, Kansas City police announced Sapp was suspended after discovering the officer had not been shot as he said.

After a lengthy investigation, Sapp told detectives, “this incident was a result of his being “in crisis” and he had “screwed up,” according to court records.

Sapp also allegedly told police investigators, “this is gonna be in the hands of Jackson County and they wanna decide whether I get punishment or not I’m perfectly fine with that,” prosecutors allege.

Kansas City police said Sapp left the department about a month after the incident. Sapp is scheduled to appear in court on May 28.

According to police, Sapp said about 1 a.m. on Sept. 14, he heard noises coming from a nearby treeline. When he went to investigate, Sapp said, he heard gunshots.

Sapp, who was dressed in his full uniform, said he retreated and radioed for help. While taking cover, Sapp said, he realized he had been shot, but the bullet hadn’t penetrated his bullet-resistant vest.

He reported he couldn’t locate the suspect.

Several officers from Kansas City and Raytown responded and secured the area to prevent the possible shooter from escaping, according to court records.

Police searched the immediate area but did not find the shooter. Crime scene investigators arrived and collected evidence. Investigators recovered surveillance video and dispatch tapes.

In the days following the incident, investigators reviewed surveillance footage that showed Sapp throughout his shift driving around the property but detectives did not see Sapp being assaulted, according to court records.

They also discovered inconsistencies with Sapp’s statement.

In subsequent interviews, investigators told Sapp that it was important he was truthful with them. They told Sapp that his statement to them was not consistent with the evidence they had recovered, prosecutors allege.

However, Sapp maintained to investigators that he was being truthful, court records stated.

Surveillance video captured Sapp outside of his vehicle but at no time prior to the shooting Sapp walked around the entire property as he had previously told investigators.

Sapp did not share that information with investigators until after they pressed him about it, according to court records.

In October, detectives interviewed an officer who said he and his partner responded to a report of an open door. When they arrived, the officers spoke to Sapp, who was holding a “shockwave shotgun.”

After making sure no one was inside the business, Sapp allegedly told the officers, “hey if you hear someone screaming on the radio later on tonight like a girl saying shots fired that....that’ll probably be me.”

Sapp also allegedly mentioned to the officers that Price Chopper was canceling his off-duty and he was unsure why, according to court records.

In 2017, Sapp walked 100 miles along U.S. Highway 50 from Lee’s Summit to Jefferson City on behalf of a 6-year-old student he mentored through the Lead to Read program.

Sapp had planned meet with then-Gov. Eric Greitens to talk about the boy and other children facing violence and neglect in Kansas City, as well as what could be done to improve law enforcement.

Sapp had previously served with special operations forces and later as a contractor with a warfare group in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.