Capt. Robert Melton was fatally shot Tuesday while searching for a drive-by shooting suspect.
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Authorities said another news conference in the Melton shooting is planned for Wednesday morning. He also wanted everyone to remember Officer Brad Lancaster who died May 9th near Kansas Speedway.
Kansas City Mayor Mark Holland asked for people not to jump to conclusions and wait for an investigation to answer why the officer was killed.
Ida Ford, 87, was watching television in her home when gunfire erupted just outside.
Ford says she heard three loud noises Tuesday afternoon and thought someone was knocking on her air conditioner. “The anti-hate speech has got to stop because the consequences are real”. He said it wasn’t unusual that Melton, as a captain, was responding because Melton’s philosophy was to “lead from the front”.
“My prayers and deepest sympathies remain with the men and women of the KCK Police Department, with all officers who protect and serve with honor, and with the family and friends of Captain Melton”. He said it was painful to sit in that room and see the grief-stricken faces.
Across town at the shooting scene, Susan Goble sobbed inconsolably after placing a small wreath at the spot where Melton was shot.
She says officers who watched her lay the wreath were grieving just like everybody else.
Ham also called it a “large crime scene”.
Two suspects are in custody for the fatal shooting and no other suspects are on the loose.
The Kansas National Guard says a slain Kansas City, Kansas, police officer was a decorated veteran who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The violence left many on edge nationwide, as police officers in many cities were ordered to patrol in pairs as a safety measure.
Wagle cited Obama’s public comments about shootings by police in Minnesota and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which were followed by deadly attacks on officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge.
Multiple shots were fired and Captain Melton was hit. Doctors and nurses at the University of Kansas Hospital tried for 30 minutes to revive Melton before he was pronounced dead.
Melton was rushed to the hospital, but succumbed to his injuries just before 3 p.m., the Kansas City Police Department confirmed in a news release.
Melton got out of the auto and was shot several times. One person was taken into custody there, and a second was apprehended later. The chase ended about 2 miles from where the suspects were initially reported to a 911 dispatcher.
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The suspect vehicle drove off as police arrived, but it crashed into a fence and the occupants fled at 1.36pm.
