Highway patrol releases name of man shot after he fired rifle outside Lee’s Summit HQ
The Missouri State Highway Patrol released the name of the man troopers shot Monday night after he fired a rifle outside its Lee’s Summit headquarters, according to investigators.
Tayland Rahim, 27, of Kansas City, approached the main entrance of Troop A headquarters about 9:40 p.m. Monday with an assault-style rifle before firing shots, the patrol said. Troopers shot him after he didn’t comply with their verbal commands, the agency said.
Spokesman Sgt. Bill Lowe said such a threat was a first for the highway patrol across Missouri.
“This has never happened in the history of the highway patrol,” he said. “When he got here, he was set to do some harm.”
Troopers have been in communication with prosecutors and an arrest warrant for Rahim will be issued, Lowe said. Rahim remained in a hospital in stable condition.
On Tuesday, investigators seized three firearms and ammunition from a Gladstone home where Rahim was staying, Lowe said.
Before the exchange of gunfire Monday, a trooper who was in the parking lot near his vehicle noticed Rahim get out of his truck with the rifle. The trooper then called for backup.
Two other troopers came out from inside the building and fired their duty weapons, Lowe said.
”Shots fired, Troop A, shots fired,” an officer said into police radios, according to Broadcastify archives.
One of those troopers has been with highway patrol about five years, and the other is a veteran of about 15 years. Neither were injured in the gunfire.
Lowe commended the officers, saying they responded like they were trained to for “an active shooter situation.”
Talking to reporters Monday night, Lowe said he was thankful Rahim didn’t get into the building, where unarmed people work.
“I’m assuming that he had an issue with either us or law enforcement in general,” Lowe said, noting though that he did not know of a motive. “It’s disturbing to say the very least. You don’t expect that at your troop headquarters.”
Highway patrol’s division of drug and crime control is investigating the shooting.
The Lee’s Summit Police Department’s bomb squad also responded to the scene Monday to make sure there was nothing dangerous in the suspect’s car. No bombs were found.
In 2019, troopers filed a traffic-related citation against Rahim, but haven’t had any other interaction with him, Lowe said.
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 2:39 PM.
