Man killed in Independence police shooting; task force investigates
Independence police officers fatally shot a man while investigating a disturbance at an apartment building early Sunday, according to a spokesman for the Eastern Jackson County Police Involved Incident Team.
Officers responded to a call about a disturbance around 1 a.m. near 11600 E. Truman Road, said Lee’s Summit police Sgt. Chris Depue, a spokesman for the task force that investigates police shootings.
When officers arrived, they found a man in the backseat of a vehicle in the parking lot of a small apartment building. Officers tried to determine if he was connected to the disturbance. The man became agitated and produced a firearm, Depue said.
Officers issued verbal commands to the man, which the man allegedly ignored. Officers then opened fire, striking him, Depue said.
Believing the area was unsafe, officers carried the man 50 yards to an ambulance, where paramedics declared the man dead, Depue said. The man’s identity is being withheld until his family can be notified.
No further details were released regarding the officers’ justification for using deadly force. The number of officers involved in the shooting and how many shots were fired also were not released.
The Eastern Jackson County Police Involved Incident Team, comprised of detectives from Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs, Grandview, and Independence police departments, was called in to conduct an independent investigation. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be submitted to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
The multi-agency team was created in 2022 to investigate police use of force in Jackson County. Previously, the Missouri State Highway Patrol oversaw such inquiries.
The killing is the sixth homicide of the year in Independence, according to data tracked by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings. By this time last year, there were seven homicides.
This story was originally published August 31, 2025 at 9:40 AM.
