An exceptionally large and violent shooting incident in the early morning hours Sunday tested the members of our department on all fronts, from courage to coordination. And I couldn’t be more proud of how we responded.
Here’s what happened: At approximately 2:18 a.m. Nov. 27, officers were called to Gregory & Prospect on the sound of shots. Upon arrival, officers observed suspects actively shooting at each other. Fearing for their safety, one officer fired shots. Due to the gunfire, three vehicles were involved in an accident. While securing that scene, officers heard numerous shots fired in their immediate area, for several minutes. Officers saw vehicles near the initial scene involved in a rolling shoot-out. Due to continuous gunfire and an active scene, KCPD requested assistance from police around the metro area. Law enforcement from numerous surrounding agencies responded and assisted with the incident, which spanned from 70th to 72nd streets, Prospect to Brooklyn. Seven people were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Six have now been treated and released. No officers were injured during the incident. At this time one suspect stated he was shot by police and was treated for minor injuries.
This incident endangered the lives of hundreds of people. Much of the rolling gun battle took place on residential streets. It covered eight square blocks. Numerous houses were struck with bullets, and it is incredibly fortunate that no one inside them was hurt. Shots continued to be fired while police tried to aid those who were already shot. Those firing these shots had no regard for the life or safety of others. As I said in my previous post, this altercation didn’t arise from nowhere. Someone knew a dispute was brewing, and they didn’t tell us. Someone had to see at least one of these suspects angry and armed, and no one called until the bullets started flying. Police alone cannot stop this violence. We need your help to intervene.
That said, the police response to this incredibly dangerous incident is one of which all Kansas City, Mo., and metro-area residents should be proud. Much of that started with excellent direction and coordination from dispatchers. The amount of information that was coming in and the efficiency with which they distributed it was remarkable. Even with eight assisting outside agencies, they worked quickly and professionally to get everyone what and where they needed and kept track of all responding personnel. They truly are a credit to emergency telecommunicators everywhere.
On the ground, our officers rushed toward the danger. This was an incredibly volatile and dangerous situation with multiple active shooters, and the officers responded without hesitation. Where others would flee, they went right into the hail of gunfire. They risked their own lives and safety to protect the residents of our city, and their valor has not gone unnoticed. Everyone who responded to the Gregory and Prospect area that night showed up ready to work and with a positive attitude, even knowing the danger and the magnitude of the task ahead.
We also enjoyed an exceptional response from the metro-wide assist-the-officer call issued. Officers from eight different agencies responded to assist with everything from holding the perimeter of the incident to protecting multiple crime scenes to going to different hospitals where suspects/victims were taken. These officers were eager and ready to help, and I want to make sure everyone in the metro area knows what an asset they were. They came from the following agencies:
Missouri Ferrelview Police Independence Police Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Missouri State Highway Patrol North Kansas City Police Raytown Police
Kansas Leawood, Kan., Police Prairie Village, Kan., Police
I also want to thank all the responding Crime Scene technicians and detectives. The 8-square-block crime scene they had to process and canvass early Sunday morning was only the beginning of their duties. Their thorough and professional work will ensure that those involved in this violent criminal act will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
While the act of violence early Sunday morning was awful, I could not have asked for a better or more professional team to handle it. I apologize if I left anyone out. The response was so seamless; it can be difficult to discern everyone who was involved. I just know I am very proud of everyone who responded, and the residents of Kansas City should be, as well.
At about 6 p.m. yesterday, June 22, the last of the KCPD officers who have been assisting in Joplin, Mo., since the devastating tornado there one month ago returned home. Reporter Josh Letner of the Joplin Globe newspaper wrote a fantastic article last weekend about the nearly 100 KCPD officers who have served in Joplin and how incredibly well received we were there.
As one of our tactical squad sergeants told the reporter, “I’ve had more thanks in the time I’ve been down here than in the 21 years that I’ve been a police officer in Kansas City. That’s not to say I’ve never been thanked, but almost everybody you run into is thanking you. We’ve been awestruck at how thankful people are.”
Nearly all the officers who served in Joplin have consistently said how amazing the residents there were despite their unthinkable adversity. They were so friendly, so willing to help and in great spirits. As mentioned in the Globe’s article, many residents even applauded the officers at a restaurant. It was pretty overwhelming emotionally when our officers learned many of those who clapped for them had been rendered homeless by the tornado.
We sent a total of about 95 officers and several more civilian communications and fleet employees to Joplin to help them as they recover from this disaster. We were blessed to work alongside the Kansas City Fire Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and first responders from across the Midwest, as well as thousands of selfless volunteers. The Joplin Police Department performed and continues to perform faithfully in the most difficult time in the city’s history, and it was an honor to serve alongside them.
The Joplin Globe said, “It doesn’t take much time traveling the streets of Joplin to notice the presence of KCPD.” I’m pretty certain most of the KCPD personnel who served there will remember that experience for the rest of their careers.
Governor Jay Nixon stopped by Kansas City today to thank the public safety agencies, faith-based groups and other volunteers who have assisted in the efforts to help Joplin, Mo., recover from its horrible May 22 tornado. Dozens of our officers, Kansas City firefighters, police, fire and emergency medical workers from metro-area agencies and search-and-rescue canine teams were on hand. A few of our officers who went are pictured above.
As Governor Nixon said, "The tornado that hit Joplin had barely left when Kansas City's first responders were on the road."
Kansas City Police joined more than 400 other public safety organizations in this effort.
Governor Nixon said, "They ran toward danger, not away from it."
We realize KCPD's work in Joplin is just a small part of the recovery effort there, and we are humbled by the 29,000 volunteers who have served in that community so far. That's a truly astounding number of people who care about their neighbors, no matter how near or far they may be.
KCPD has been deploying officers to Joplin, Mo., since May 23, the day after an EF-5 tornado destroyed much of the city 150 miles to our south. The video below shows what some of our officers have experienced there. One thing nearly all of them comment on is how kind Joplin residents have been to them and how grateful they are for our presence there.
The entire KCPD family and I send our deepest condolences to the family, friends and coworkers of Officer Jeff Taylor of the Riverside, Missouri, Police Department. Officer Taylor had volunteered to assist in tornado-ravaged Joplin, Mo., when he was struck by lightning on May 23 near the operation’s command post. He passed away today at age 31 in Springfield, Mo.
This is tragic in so many ways. To lose any officer in the line of duty is crushing, but to lose one who selflessly volunteered to assist in a disaster 150 miles away is devastating. Officer Taylor is the only emergency responder to pass away as a result of the May 22 Joplin tornado and is the first officer ever to die in the line of duty with the Riverside Police Department.
As Riverside Mayor Kathy Rose said, “He died upholding a tradition of our community and many communities like ours to serve and protect, and to help neighbors in need.”
I think of our own officers who tirelessly have been working in Joplin and am sobered by the fact it could have been any one of them. I am thankful every day for their safety.
The Kansas City Police Department enjoys excellent partnerships with our neighboring law enforcement agencies, including Riverside. They always are eager to assist us, and vice versa. Several of our officers knew and worked with Jeff, and they are terribly saddened by his loss. We will assist our police brothers and sisters in Riverside in any way we can during this difficult time.
If you would like to support Officer Taylor’s loved ones at this time, you can send a card or message to:
Taylor Family City of Riverside Police Department 2990 NW Vivion Road Riverside, MO 64150
I also encourage you to donate to a fund set up in honor of Officer Taylor to assist his family with expenses:
Taylor Benefit Account K.C. Police Credit Union 2800 E. 14th Street Kansas City, MO 64127 www.kcpcu.org
As I’ve discussed here, the Kansas City Missouri Police Department has committed to assisting Joplin, Mo., as it recovers from its tornado. We have 28 officers assigned there for at least the next two and a half weeks. This past weekend, we sent an additional 12 down to help with President Barack Obama’s visit. We also sent two technicians from our Fleet Unit and three specialists from our Communications and Communications Support units to help with logistics.
Board of Police Commissioners member Lisa Pelofsky spent the day with KCPD during the presidential visit on Sunday and reported back to me that she was bursting with pride about the department. She said, “I heard repeatedly from numerous other federal, state and local law enforcement that the KCPD was not only extremely well-trained but is one of the most professional law enforcement agencies in the country.”
She said it was apparent that both KCPD’s sworn and non-sworn members in Joplin were given the most important and some of the most dangerous duties during the past week and during the presidential visit. They kept combative, armed and violent individuals on the president’s route at bay, keeping not only President Obama but Joplin’s citizens safe. Commissioner Pelofsky said the officers were confident and never shaken. She said the damage in Joplin is “beyond comprehension,” but that “our efforts are making a difference there.”
I, too, am so proud of the men and women of this department. Deputy Chief Cy Ritter recently was criticized in a Kansas City Star editorial for calling our police department “one of the best in the country,” but I believe he was spot-on. When the situation is at its worst, KCPD is at its best. This never has been more evident than this past week in Joplin.
Kansas City Police have been requested to stay in Joplin for the next three weeks as tornado recovery continues. Tactical response reams and traffic enforcement squads will rotate every five days. Tactical Response Team 2 and a traffic squad are returning today, and Tactical Response Team 1 and another traffic squad will take their place.
KCPD is continuing to provide security through roving patrols and at St. John’s hospital.
The Kansas City Police Department also has been requested to assist with President Barack Obama’s visit to Joplin on Sunday.
And Kansas City's Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 99 is collecting items to distribute to Joplin police officers who lost everything in Sunday's tornado through an "adopt-a-cop" program.
This is our department at its finest - lending a hand when we are needed. Speaking of that, please consider lending a hand to the family of Riverside Public Safety Officer Jeff Taylor. He had gone to Joplin to provide mutual aid just as our officers had, but he was struck by lightning while assisting with rescue operations. He's in critical condition at a Springfield hospital. A fund, the Taylor Benefit Account, has been established for his family and medical expenses at the Kansas City Police Credit Union. You can donate by sending money to the account at Kansas City Police Credit Union, 2800 E. 14th St., Kansas City, MO 64127. For more information, call the Credit Union at 816-504-2800 or toll-free at 800-338-8567.
Thirty-two KCPD employees continue to provide assistance to tornado-stricken Joplin. One of our Tactical Response Teams and a squad from the Traffice Enforcement Unit are taking turns providing round-the-clock security at the severely damaged St. John's hospital. Once a fence is erected around the site, these officers will be reassigned where they're needed.
Major Robin Houston and her trained canine worked with the Kansas City Fire Department until 3 a.m. last night doing search and rescue. They slept a few hours and then went back at it again this morning.
Other behind-the-scenes work at KCPD has been ongoing to provide financing and equipment to these officers and communications staff in Joplin.
We are scheduled to be in Joplin until at least Thursday. If it extends beyond that time, we'll relieve the officers there now and send new squads in. Those there now got called up at midnight Sunday night and had little time to prepare for the departure from their families. We appreciate their sacrifice.
We also stand ready to assist with security for President Barack Obama's planned visit to Joplin this Sunday, if our help is requested.
Our work in Joplin speaks to the importance of our local, regional and national partnerships. KCPD members are part of law enforcement organizations large and small, and those relationships have allowed us to assist those who need us as quickly as possible, and vice versa. Shortly after Sunday's devastating twister, KCPD's phones started ringing. We are honored to be assisting our southern neighbors through this heart-wrenching time.
Our hearts go out to our southern neighbors in Joplin, Mo., who are coping with such indescribable loss right now after last night's tornado. We are providing assistance as requested and stand ready to offer more.
The Kansas City Missouri Police Department is sending one of our tactical response teams and a traffic enforcement squad to Joplin. They are on the road right now. One of our majors and her trained dog also have headed down there to assist with search and rescue. That’s a total of nearly 30 officers, and when they arrive, they’ll be assigned where need is greatest.
The manager of our 911 Call Center already is in Joplin, helping set up the command post there. He is joined by two of our communication support technicians. In Kansas City, these folks are responsible for all of our radio installation, maintenance and communication (as well as lights and sirens, computers and more), and they’re working in Joplin now to get vital communications up and running.
