KCPD officer shot in the head released from hospital, transferred to rehab center
The Kansas City police officer who was shot in the head earlier this month was released from the hospital Thursday morning and will be transferred to an rehabilitation center, a police spokesman said.
The out-of-state rehabilitation facility focuses on brain injuries and neurological rehabilitation and recovery, said Sgt. Jacob Becchina, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department.
The officer’s family and the police department are appreciative of the care the officer received at Truman Medical Center, Becchina said.
The officer, who has been with the department about 2 1/2 years, was wounded July 2 while responding to a report of a man waving a gun at a McDonald’s restaurant near 31st and Van Brunt Boulevard.
The officer, along with another officer, ran after the man as he fled. During the chase, the suspect turned and shot at the officers, striking one. The second officer fired back, killing 31-year-old Ky Johnson, whose family said he was struggling with a mental illness.
The wounded officer, who has not been publicly identified, underwent emergency surgery that night. He remained in critical condition until last week, when his condition was upgraded to stable.
The officer was the second one shot and injured that day in Kansas City. The other KCPD officer was shot, along with two other people, after an alleged robbery in northeast Kansas City.
A Ride KC bus driver called police after she witnessed a robbery around 10:35 a.m. and saw the suspect board her bus. The suspect shot the bus driver and an officer who tried to enter the back of the bus near the intersection of Independence and Hardesty avenues.
A second officer shot the suspect. The wounded officer in that shooting was treated and released from the hospital. The bus driver’s injury was not life-threatening.
The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office has charged 25-year-old Justin A. Rogers with felony first-degree assault and other crimes in connection with the shooting of the officer and bus driver.
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.
As part of this project, The Star will seek the community’s help. To contribute, visit Report for America online at reportforamerica.org.
