Five things to know about this weekend’s deadly police shootout in Johnson County
Officers from multiple Johnson County law enforcement agencies were on the scene of a police shootout Sunday inside a Mission QuikTrip.
A Tennessee man suspected of stealing a vehicle in Lenexa was killed, and a Fairway police officer was critically wounded.
Here’s a quick recap of what we know so far:
What events led to the deadly shooting?
It all started with reports of a stolen vehicle in Lenexa.
Officers responded around 7:30 a.m., but they didn’t have to look far: Two suspects in the stolen vehicle hit a Lenexa police car and drove away, leading police on a roughly eight-mile chase into nearby Mission, Lenexa police told The Star.
There, the suspects ran into a QuikTrip gas station store at 4700 Lamar Avenue, and officers followed.
That is where the fatal shootout occurred.
What do we know about the suspects?
Lenexa police revealed Sunday night that the suspects were Tennessee residents Shannon Wayne Marshall, 40, and Andrea Rene Cothran, 32.
Marshall was killed in Sunday’s shooting, while Cothran was taken into custody. She was being held at the Johnson County jail on suspicion of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.
Kansas statute defines this crime as a level 6 person felony, which can carry a prison sentence of up to three years.
Which law enforcement agencies were involved?
Multiple agencies were on the scene of Sunday’s gas station shooting, including Lenexa police, Fairway police, Mission police and the Kansas Highway Patrol.
The officer injured in Sunday’s shooting is a member of the Fairway police department.
He remained in critical condition as of Sunday night, according to Fairway Police Chief J.P. Thurlo.
Where did the theft, chase and shooting happen?
We know that the suspected vehicle theft that set off Sunday’s events was reported in the area of W. 95th Street and Interstate 35 in Lenexa, a busy intersection around 20 minutes southwest of downtown Kansas City.
The suspects then led police on the chase that ended in Mission, around 11 minutes southwest of downtown Kansas City. It was here that the shootout occurred that killed one suspect and injured a police officer.
The officer belongs to the police department in Fairway, a small city located just southwest of, and across the state line from, the Country Club Plaza.
Fairway had a population of around 4,170 people at the time of the 2020 census. Known as the City of Trees, it is largely residential and home to a handful of local businesses, such as Rainy Day Books.
What don’t we know about Sunday’s shootout?
We still don’t know exactly how many shots were fired on Sunday, or by whom.
The Johnson County Officer-Involved Critical Incident Investigation Team, which is composed of various area law enforcement agencies, is investigating.
We also don’t know the name of the Fairway officer injured on Sunday, or how long he has been a member of the police force. Police Chief Thurlo confirmed late Sunday that the officer is still in critical condition at a local hospital.
“I ask for thoughts and prayers for the officer and his family, and request privacy for the officer’s family and for the Fairway Police Department,” he said in a Sunday evening statement.
The Star’s Anna Spoerre and Andrea Klick contributed reporting.
Do you have more questions about officer-involved shootings in Kansas or Missouri? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published August 7, 2023 at 11:04 AM.
.jpg)