Kansas City police officer, bus driver and robbery suspect wounded in shootout
Three people were wounded in a shooting Thursday morning, including a Kansas City police officer and a bus driver, after a suspect in an alleged robbery got on a RideKC bus.
The officer, who Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop A spokesman Sgt. Bill Lowe said is an 18-year veteran, was treated and released from a hospital Thursday afternoon, police said. The bus driver sustained non life-threatening injuries, Lowe said.
Another police officer who responded to the bus shot the suspect after he fired at police, Lowe said.
The robbery happened about 10:35 a.m. a couple of blocks east of Independence and Hardesty avenues.
A Kansas City Area Transportation Authority bus driver, Lowe said, witnessed the robbery, saw the suspect board her bus and contacted the Kansas City Police Department while she continued to drive passengers.
“She was under a tremendous amount of pressure,” Lowe said. “That was truly heroic on her part.”
When the bus reached Independence and Hardesty avenues, two KCPD officers arrived and one officer tried to get on the bus from the back entrance.
The suspect shot the officer at the back door, Lowe said, before shooting the bus driver.
When the suspect left the bus, Lowe said, he fired toward police. Other officers arrived shortly after the first two. Only one officer returned fire, wounding the suspect.
“They were given no choice to do what they had to do,” Lowe said.
Lowe said he didn’t know the extent of the suspect’s injuries.
Anyone on the bus will be interviewed by the police department.
Mayor Quinton Lucas said on Twitter he was “horrified” to hear of the shooting.
“My thoughts are with both victims and their families and I thank them for their service and courage,” Lucas said. “This is a reminder of the hard work our first responders do each day.”
The highway patrol is continuing to investigate the shooting.
Gun violence will be the subject of a new, statewide journalism project The Star is undertaking in Missouri this year in partnership with the national service program Report for America and sponsored in part by Missouri Foundation for Health. As part of this project, The Star will seek the community’s help.
To contribute, visit Report for America online at reportforamerica.org.
This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 1:27 PM.
