Wyandotte County DA to seek death penalty in killing of officer Hunter Simoncic
The Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty Wednesday against a man charged in the August killing of a Kansas City, Kansas, police officer, according to a news release.
Dennis Mitchell III, 31, is charged with capital murder in the August killing of Kansas City, Kansas, police officer Hunter Simoncic. Mitchell allegedly struck and killed Simoncic while driving a stolen truck during a police chase.
The man is also charged with fleeing or attempting to flee a law enforcement officer by engaging in reckless driving, theft by deception, theft of property or services and criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, according to Wyandotte County court documents.
The filing comes on the same day that three of Mitchell’s lawyers that specialize in death penalty defense cases filed to withdraw as his counsel due to “multiple, unavoidable, conflicts of interest,” according to a Wyandotte County court document.
Around 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 26, a gunshot detection system alerted Kansas City, Kansas, police officers that shots had been fired near the 7700 block of Everett Avenue near Kansas City, Kansas Community College.
Responding officers found Mitchell unconscious in a stolen truck. He awoke as officers approached the vehicle and fled.
Simoncic was one of two officers deploying tire-deflating devices in the 7200 block of State Avenue when Mitchell swerved, intentionally striking Simoncic, police Chief Karl Oakman previously told reporters.
Simoncic was taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries and pronounced dead a few hours later.
The incident isn’t Mitchell’s first brush with law enforcement.
Mitchell has previously been convicted of drug crimes, including possession of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, for which he is awaiting trial.
The community gathered Sept. 2 to honor Simoncic outside the Kansas City, Kansas, Unified Government Municipal Building, where family and friends remembered the Galesburg, Kansas, native as a driven, caring man who had a desire to give back to the community.
“Hunter, I can’t express the pain it brings me to speak of you in the past tense,” said Simoncic’s friend, Deputy Blake Fisher, of the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Department. “I will forever cherish your quirky smile, which brought so much joy to everyone around you. I’m sorry you’ve become another statistic in the line of duty deaths.”
Simoncic’s death is the second law enforcement death in Wyandotte County within a time frame of one month. Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Dep. Elijah Ming was shot and killed July 27 while responding to a call for service in the Kansas City, Kansas, Argentine neighborhood.
Mitchell is set to appear for a motion hearing on Sept. 25, according to court records.
This story was originally published September 17, 2025 at 6:00 PM.
