Quinton Lucas says man accused of killing North KC officer should get death penalty
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North Kansas City cop dies in traffic stop shooting
The police officer shot during a traffic stop Tuesday in North Kansas City has died. The officer was identified as Daniel Vasquez, who had been on the force for two years, North Kansas City Police Chief Kevin Freeman said during a news conference. Clay County Prosecutor Dan White charged Joshua T. Rocha, 24, Wednesday with one count each of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of Vasquez.
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Mayor Quinton Lucas said Thursday the man accused of killing a North Kansas City police officer earlier this week should receive the death penalty if he’s convicted.
Joshua Rocha, 24, is charged with killing police officer Daniel Vasquez during a Tuesday morning traffic stop. Clay County Prosecutor Dan White charged Rocha Wednesday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
Speaking to talk radio host Pete Mundo on KCMO Talk Radio, Lucas said Rocha “assassinated” Vasquez and believes a message needs to be sent to the community.
“We can all have discussions, debates about the justice system, policing in America, reform, ain’t no debating here,” Lucas said. “This is the type of person who does not belong on the streets ever again, of course, but I think that in a state that has the death penalty, is one who should receive that sentence.”
During a news conference Wednesday, Clay County Prosecutor Dan White said he will decide whether or not to seek the death penalty only after an investigation is complete and he has met with Vasquez’s family, members of the North Kansas City Police Department and his staff.
Vasquez was shot around 10:40 a.m. Tuesday when he pulled a gray Ford Taurus with an expired Missouri temporary tag over for a traffic stop near 21st Avenue and Clay Street, according to police.
Officials allege that Rocha shot Vasquez once in the face from the driver side door before stepping out of the car to shoot him twice more after Vasquez fell to the ground, according to a probable cause statement.
Rocha turned himself into authorities at the Clay County Annex. He allegedly confessed to a worker that he committed murder before she called 911, according to court documents.
Death penalty in Missouri
Elyse Max, executive director of Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, said Lucas is politicizing the situation by calling for the death penalty even before Rocha has made his first court appearance.
“To call for the death penalty in this particular instance is just a political move,” Max said. “It’s not the reality of what’s happening with the death penalty system in Missouri.”
In the past, Lucas tried to get a Georgia man clemency while he was a second-year law student at Cornell University. Curtis Osborne, 37, was found guilty of a 1990 double murder and was given the death penalty.
Lucas made the appeal for clemency to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles. But the appeal was not granted. Osborne was executed in June 2008.
Max said Lucas is being divisive and added that calling for the death penalty is asking Missouri residents to participate in a homicide.
“If we’re asking for homicides to stop, then calling for a state homicide is not going to be the answer,” Max said. “I think he’s really out of touch with what’s happening in Missouri and Jackson County.”
This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 2:10 PM.
