Kansas City officer shot in leg released from hospital and ‘doing well,’ police say
A Kansas City police officer who was shot in the leg on Thursday has been released from the hospital, police said on Saturday.
A suspect in an aggravated-assault case police were pursuing allegedly shot the officer during an arrest attempt, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The officer returned fire, fatally shooting 31-year-old Malcolm D. Johnson of Kansas City.
The officer’s leg wound was not life threatening, and he was transported Thursday to a local hospital for treatment. According to the highway patrol, he has been with the Kansas City Police Department for eight and a half years.
“He’s doing well, and recovering,” said Sgt. Jake Becchina, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police department, in an email.
Shooting was at KC gas station
Around 6 p.m. Thursday, officers with the Kansas City Police Department’s Impact Unit were looking for a person in an ongoing aggravated-assault investigation when they identified the suspect at the gas station near East 63rd Street and Prospect Avenue.
Two officers went inside the gas station and tried to arrest him when “a fight, a struggle ensued,” Sgt. Andy Bell, spokesman with the highway patrol, said Thursday.
Johnson allegedly drew a handgun and shot the officer in the leg as an additional two officers had arrived on the scene to help with the arrest.
“The officer in self defense returned fire,” Bell said.
The highway patrol has been the lead investigative agency for police shootings in Kansas City since June 2020. Up until then, the Kansas City Police Department investigated its own officers, a practice that was criticized by the community.
Johnson’s death marks the 40th killing in Kansas City this year. Last year, Kansas City suffered the highest number of homicides in the city’s history, recording 182. The Star includes fatal police shootings in this list.
Gun violence is the subject of a 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 March 27, 2021 at 4:20 PM.
