Man wounded in Olathe police shooting is charged with assault
A Kansas City, Kansas, man has been charged with assault after he allegedly pointed a firearm at Olathe police in May, prompting an officer to shoot him, according to prosecutors.
Jesus Salazar III, 43, is scheduled for his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon in Johnson County District Court on charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
Other details of the allegations against Salazar were not immediately available. But the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office said the charges stemmed from a May 26 incident, during which police said an on-duty officer shot Salazar.
The shooting unfolded after officers responded about 5 p.m. to the 1100 block of East Santa Fe Street on a reported suspicious person in a parking lot. Officers noticed the gun in the man’s vehicle while speaking with him, said Sgt. Joel Yeldell, a spokesman for the Olathe Police Department. One officer fired at the man after he allegedly pointed the gun at officers, police said.
After he was struck by gunfire, the man ran away but was taken into custody nearby, police said at the time. He was taken to a hospital. Police have said he was expected to make a full recovery.
Johnson County’s multi-agency police shooting team is leading the investigation. The officer was placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation’s outcome, which is standard procedure.
Salazar is being held on a $75,000 bond at the Johnson County jail.
The officer Salazar is accused of assaulting is identified in charging documents as Officer Jewett.
The police shooting was the second in Johnson County that week. Police in neighboring Lenexa fatally shot a Nashville man who was staying at a hotel following an exchange of gunfire. He allegedly fired a gun at police.
