Police shoot, kill Lee’s Summit man in Missouri despite being unarmed | Opinion
Saveion McConnell, a 19-year-old from Lee’s Summit fatally shot by a Lafayette County Sheriff’s deputy May 1, was laid to rest over the weekend. In an online obituary, family members described the 2025 Lee’s Summit North High School graduate as a child of God who openly confessed his faith in Christ.
“He was a good kid,” McConnell’s mother, Michelle Washington, said during a vigil held shortly after his death. “He was so loved. Everybody here attests to how loved he was.”
When McConnell was fatally shot on the side of U.S. Highway 50 near unincorporated Pittsville after a foot pursuit, he was unarmed, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol, the agency handling the investigation. Prior to being mortally wounded, he was struck by a vehicle driven by a Lafayette County deputy but kept fleeing on foot, authorities said.
McConnell has not been named as a suspect in a crime.
Almost three weeks have passed since McConnell was killed, and there are still too many unanswered questions about the circumstances surrounding his death: Why did the unnamed deputy who pulled the trigger feel the need to fire upon a young Black teen who was unarmed, anyway? And we can’t assume that the deputy who hit him with his vehicle was the same one who shot him without more information.
I don’t know if criminal charges will be filed in this case — the Missouri Highway Patrol will determine that — but we must all question if the particular deputy who fired, or any others involved in the pursuit, are fit to be in law enforcement.
I requested and received copies of the sheriff’s office’s use-of-force and vehicle pursuit policies. Nowhere in either manual did I read that it was OK to use a police cruiser to strike a suspect fleeing on foot.
Neither is shooting an unarmed teen who did not pose an imminent threat. Whoever fatally shot McConnell made a tenuous situation worse.
As of this week, we don’t know the names of the deputy or deputies involved — for transparency’s sake, we should. And we have no idea if those involved were removed from their duties while an investigation plays out or other pertinent information that McConnell’s family and the public have a right to know.
These and other inquiries must be answered expeditiously.
Multiple law enforcement agencies
Because there are so many law enforcement agencies involved in this case, it would make sense if all involved came together this week to provide a media briefing telling us what preliminary investigations at each agency has found so far. McConnell’s family, friends and loved ones who just attended his funeral on Saturday deserve at least that much, as do the communities and other families affected.
Even as the parent of a murdered child myself, I cannot fathom the thought of losing one of my kids in the manner in which McConnell died.
The initial act committed by the deputy was an egregious use of force that is highly frowned upon in law enforcement circles, and is also illegal — the Fourth Amendment prohibits the use of deadly force against an unarmed, non-dangerous fleeing suspect, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Tennessee v. Garner.
We must not forget this very important detail that law enforcement officials in central Missouri must explain — the sooner, the better.
As a reminder: The Missouri Highway Patrol is investigating the Lafayette County officer-involved shooting and will turn its findings over to prosecutors in Johnson County, Missouri, to determine whether any criminal charges are warranted against the deputies involved. Only one deputy fired his weapon at McConnell, authorities have said.
Shooting inside teen girl’s vehicle
The sheriff’s office in Johnson County is looking into the circumstances behind a shooting inside a vehicle of a 17-year-old girl tied to McConnell that started their entire ordeal. The girl’s injuries were not considered life-threatening, and she was released from the hospital soon after, officials said.
According to authorities, on the morning of the incident, Johnson County deputies requested assistance from the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office and the Odessa Police Department to locate a suspect — reported to be armed — fleeing on foot from the initial shooting scene. As I noted before, after a search of the scene, no weapon was recovered from McConnell.
Upon locating McConnell, a Lafayette County deputy discharged their duty weapon, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. McConnell was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The investigation into the initial shooting of the juvenile remains active and no one — McConnell included — has been named as a suspect or charged, according to authorities.
“Our detectives are still investigating the incident and no updates at this time,” Jeff Parsons, a captain with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, wrote Monday in an email.
In Lafayette County, mum was the word. Citing the Missouri Highway Patrol’s ongoing investigation, officials with the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office declined to tell me anything about the deputies involved or comment on any aspects of the case until it was closed. I was referred to the Highway Patrol for comment instead.
“At this time, I do not believe the case file has been sent over as the investigation is still ongoing,” Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing wrote in an email on Monday.
‘Video that would explain a lot of things’
Rob Russell is the prosecuting attorney in Johnson County. Once the Highway Patrol concludes its investigation into McConnell’s shooting, Russell will be tasked with deciding if any criminal charges would be filed against any of the law enforcement officials involved.
When I spoke to Russell recently, he told me that he’d viewed video footage of McConnell being shot and that McConnell did not have his hands up at the time as some witnesses had alleged during local television interviews.
Earlier, officials with the Highway Patrol had said that was not the case as well.
“There is some video that would explain a lot of things,” Russell said. “I would have to go with the Highway Patrol, I did not see his hands up at the time of the shooting.”
I asked Russell if he planned to release officer-worn body camera footage of the foot pursuit and the events that led to the shooting. Because the case is still open, he said it would take a court order from a judge to do so.
Due to the high public interest McConnell’s death has rightfully drawn, Russell should work with the family to see if they would want to seek a court order to view and then release the footage to the public.
When we talked, Russell said he wasn’t opposed to the idea.
“I do want to be open to let everyone look at the footage,” he said.
Transparency best public policy
I’ve written before how law enforcement agencies in other cities and states routinely release important information about officer-involved shootings and other high profile use-of-force incidents, oftentimes in a matter of days.
Transparency with critical incidents involving police is considered good public policy by research organizations such as the Police Executive Research Forum and International Association of Chiefs of Police.
That is why I strongly believe law enforcement officials in central Missouri looking into McConnell’s death should come together and tell the public what is known at the moment. That is the least any of us could ask for.
This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 5:04 AM.
