March 1, 2023 Shots were fired as Kansas City police were attempting to enter a location to execute a search warrant, and three officers were wounded in the exchange.
By Andrea Klick and Bill Lukitsch Source The Kansas City Star Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A standoff is ongoing after three Kansas City police officers were shot and injured Tuesday night while executing a search warrant on the east side of the city, according to Independence police.
As of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, two people had left the home voluntarily. Police don’t know if they are suspects, and haven’t said exactly when they left the location in the 2300 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard, said Independence Police Department spokesman Jack Taylor.
One person may have left the home while Kansas City police were still working the scene, and the other may have left between midnight and 1 a.m. as Independence police were taking over the standoff.
The incident began just after 9:30 p.m., when Kansas City police officers were executing a search warrant in the area near Blue Summit, an unincorporated part of the city. Officers were fired on after they knocked at the location, identified themselves as police and tried to enter.
Three officers were shot, and police did return fire. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said she didn’t know how many shots were fired or if anyone else had been shot.
The injured officers were taken to the hospital by other officers at the scene, and Graves said their injuries weren’t life threatening. She said the three officers were alert, awake and talking.
Independence police later took over the standoff because Kansas City police had been directly involved in the shooting.
As of 5:30 a.m., Taylor said police didn’t know if anyone remained in the home, but police are using loudspeakers to communicate and gas to push anyone who may still be inside to leave.
Blue Ridge Boulevard remains closed between 23rd Street and Westport Road.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol will investigate the shooting.
The shooting Tuesday night comes two weeks after Kansas City police officer James Muhlbauer, was killed, along with his K-9 partner and a pedestrian, 52-year-old Jesse Eckes, in a car crash while on duty.
That came just days after a KCPD officer was hit by a bullet and injured outside department headquarters on Locust Street on the evening of Feb. 12. Police were investigating whether that was connected to a shooting reported several blocks away.
“It’s been more than an awful week,” Graves said Tuesday. “But what I’m seeing here tonight, our officers are OK considering the circumstances. Some of their injuries may last far beyond today, but they are here with us.”
Glenn Rice contributed to this report.