A slain Kansas City, Kansas, police officer had been awaiting the arrival of another child. According to a tweet from Kansas City Police Chief Terry Zeigler the incident happened at 22nd and Haskell.
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The suspect got out of his vehicle and shot several rounds into the rolled down passenger window of Melton’s auto. Two suspects are in custody. The CBS-affiliate says they may not be officially charged until Thursday, adding that police are not looking for any other suspects.
Police say he also leaves four brothers and five sisters.
Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli said Wednesday in a statement that Melton served in the guard from 1986 until he retired in 2012.
“The tragic killing of our law enforcement officers must stop”, he said.
Senate President Susan Wagle of Wichita, Kan., said Wednesday that Obama has “stoked the fires of anger and hostility” toward law enforcement.
The shooting comes as police departments across the country are on edge after ambush attacks left eight officers dead in Texas and Louisiana. “But make no mistake, officers of the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department will continue to fight for the safety of the community… we are not going to go back on the years of work we’ve done”.
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback told a meeting of top lawmakers Wednesday that the Kansas, shooting was “a awful tragedy”.
A Kansas City, Kansas, police captain who was fatally shot while responding to a report of gunfire Tuesday was not ambushed but was killed by a person who didn’t want to be arrested, police chief said Wednesday.
Melton, 46, a veteran of the Kansas Army National Guard who served in Afghanistan, was shot about 2 p.m. near an intersection where the chase ended, noted the Star. The department is working with prosecutors and planned to present the case to them “hopefully later today”, Zeigler said. “The hate and anti-police speech has got to stop because the consequences are real”.
Zeigler choked up at the podium as he thanked the community for their support. Authorities said at this time they have no reason to believe the shooting was a targeted attack.
Robert Melton, one of the police officers who responded to reports of a drive-by shooting, died from his injuries at around 2:55 p.m. inside the University of Kansas Hospital, about an hour after the shooting.
Melton was killed Tuesday while searching for a drive-by shooting suspect.
Wyandotte County Commissioner Harold Johnson said a short prayer before the news conference began.
Melton, who friends and family knew as Dave, had been with the department for 17 years and previously worked with the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office for another nine years. She said she had known Melton for almost 20 years, describing him as “born to protect and serve” and “a wonderful man with a heart of gold”.
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The department had just on Monday instituted new minimum staffing rules so officers would not go out alone, Zeigler said.
