'Heroes are never forgotten.' Officials, friends, family remember slain deputies
Wyandotte County Sheriff's Deputy Theresa King was excited for a new job in August, but in the meantime thought she was making a safe choice working as a court transport officer rather than on patrol.
"She just had a new glow about her because she found out she had just been promoted to be a school resource officer and would be in her girl's school," close friend Meg Rauh said Saturday about King, known as "TK."
But that court transport job turned deadly Friday for both King and another deputy, Patrick Rohrer. The two were shot about 11:15 a.m. while transporting two inmates from a hearing at the Wyandotte County Correctional and Court Services building in downtown Kansas City, Kan., back to the jail just across the street.
The deputies were taken to the University of Kansas Hospital, where both died of their wounds. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Details remain sketchy about what happened in Friday's shooting incident, but somehow the deputies were overcome by one of the inmates and shot.
The suspect, who has not been officially identified, was also shot multiple times and was taken to the hospital, where he was said to be in stable condition Saturday, and charges are pending.
The second inmate, who was not identified, was unharmed.
King, 44, was a single mother of two adult children and a 7-year-old daughter. She had been with the sheriff's department for 13 years.
Rohrer, 35, had been with the sheriff's department for seven years and was assigned to the court transport division since January.
He had two children and was a graduate of Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, according to a GoFundMe page created to raise money for funeral expenses and to support his family. The page was started by J.C. Easley, a high school classmate of Rohrer's.
"He was well liked by all, kind, considerate and compassionate," Easley said.
Rohrer's family has asked for privacy and did not wish to comment.
Defense lawyer Carl Cornwell said Saturday that he knew King well and she was a wonderful person. She frequently handled the transports for his clients in custody.
"She had a great sense of humor but when she was doing her job she was all duty," said Cornwell, who was at the court building Friday. "She was very professional. She made sure everybody followed the rules."
Still, Cornwell said he considered the court transport job to be hazardous. The inmate transfer process from that Wyandotte County court building to a van occurs in a small fenced area in the parking lot behind the building at 7th Street and Ann Avenue.
According to the sheriff's office, two deputies typically transport inmates in a van. The van pulls into the gated area and while the transfer is occurring the fenced area is locked. The inmates' hands are cuffed in their front and they are also shackled.
"That cage is so tiny," Cornwell said. "You're so close to an inmate."
He said even though the inmates are handcuffed, they can still move their hands, and it's not inconceivable that they could reach for a deputy's weapon.
"I don't think it was a safe situation," he said.
Cornwell was getting out of his car and heading to court Friday when the shooting started. He did not see the shooting but heard one shot, then what sounded like a volley of seven to 15 shots.
"It was chaotic. People were running," he said. "Somebody starts screaming for bolt cutters and some sheriff's officer comes running out with bolt cutters."
He said the shooting stopped within a minute, and he praised the swiftness of the county's response to the crisis.
"The ambulances were there immediately," he said. "There was an absolute instantaneous response by law enforcement."
Kansas City, Kan., Police Chief Terry Zeigler said homicide detectives were still investigating and would be meeting in the coming days with the Wyandotte County District Attorney's office. Zeigler didn't know when charges would be filed.
Sources have confirmed the suspect is Antoine Fielder, a 30-year-old with a long history of alleged criminal behavior. He was being held in Wyandotte County on several criminal charges and has also been charged with murder in Jackson County in a separate case.
Bailiff said the investigation into what happened is continuing, but the officers followed the established protocol for transporting inmates.
"The protocol has been in place for a long time and from what I observed and from what I believe the investigation will show is they followed proper procedure," she said of the deputies. "We always evaluate procedures, but we did confirm that they did follow proper procedure."
Video cameras on the building have footage that will be reviewed, and all Wyandotte County sheriff's deputies also have body cameras.
King and Rohrer were hailed Saturday as heroes who sacrificed their lives in service to public safety.
"Let us take just one moment of silence to honor their sacrifices and the sacrifices of their families," said David Alvey, mayor of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan., at a press conference at City Hall.
Alvey described King and Rohrer as "two of our young, bright, committed sheriff's deputies" that the department lost on a "terribly tragic day."
"Deputy King and Deputy Rohrer did not just offer to us the total gift of themselves yesterday. They did it each and every day that they stepped out into the community," he said. "Heroes are never forgotten."
Wyandotte County Sheriff's Maj. Kelli Bailiff said their deaths were a "tremendous, great loss to our agency."
"I will tell you these were two bright and intelligent, wonderful personalities," Bailiff said at the press conference. "They came to work every day with a smile, willing to help out, willing to do anything."
Bailiff conceded that Wyandotte County's law enforcement agencies are reeling from a series of tragedies, including the 2016 shooting deaths of Det. Brad Lancaster and Capt. Robert Melton of the Kansas City, Kan., police department.
"It seems like Wyandotte County has really been hit hard recently," she said. "We just ask that everyone first of all keep everyone in your prayers, from the families to our community members, to our deputies to their families."
She and Alvey said now is a time for the community to try to bond and heal, which can start at a candlelight vigil scheduled for 8 p.m. Sunday in front of City Hall, 701 North 7th St. in downtown Kansas City, Kan.
King was particularly close to Lancaster and Melton, her friend Rauh said.
She was the first person JJ Karlinger met in the police academy in 2008. He reconnected with her at a student resource officer training session just a week ago.
"She represented the best in all of us," Karlinger said. "She was incredibly smart, funny and caring. I remember the way she reached out to the younger officers at the academy and helped to guide them."
At SRO training, all she could talk about was her kids. She was thrilled to start a job that would put her on the same schedule, and in the same building, as her young daughter.
"We’re standing inside this school and she’s talking to me, ear to ear smile, talking about her kids," he said.
After hearing about the shooting, Karlinger set up a GoFundMe page to assist her two adult children and young daughter.
King had spent the past years working all the overtime she could so she was able to raise her daughter and help her older children if they needed it. The youngest will stay with her 24-year-old brother and his wife who live in the Kansas City area, Rauh said.
"All she thought about was her family," she said.
Her 21-year-old daughter, Bailey King, posted photos of her mother — and best friend — on Facebook Saturday morning.
"Mom you are the strongest, bravest woman I have ever known and the most amazing mother anyone could ever ask for, you brought so many people joy, you’ve touched so many lives," she wrote.
King owned four horses. She moved them to Rauh's pasture in Linwood, Kan., less than a year ago. Rauh said she had owned the horses for over 20 years and talked about them like they were her children.
"She had so much joy," she said. "Overflowed with joy when talking about her kids and horses."
Rauh plans to rename her pasture TK's Place.
This story was originally published June 17, 2018 at 5:30 AM with the headline "'Heroes are never forgotten.' Officials, friends, family remember slain deputies."