KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is looking into a Friday night shooting in which a Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department officer shot and killed a 36-year-old man who had a gun inside his SUV.
The man was identified as Jesse James West. According to the KBI, a woman called for help at about 7:35 p.m. because a relative was behaving strangely while sitting in his vehicle in her driveway near Kansas Avenue.
Two officers got there around 7:50 p.m. The KBI said they saw that West was armed, pulled back to cover and repeatedly told him to step out with his hands raised. When the officers moved toward the SUV a second time, one of them fired a single shot that hit West. Agents said roughly six minutes elapsed from the time officers pulled up until the gunfire.
Officers and medics attempted lifesaving care. West was pronounced dead later at the University of Kansas Medical Center. No officers were hurt. Agents later found rifle parts at the scene, the KBI said.
The state bureau is running an independent review of what led up to the shooting. That report is expected to take several weeks. When it is done, the findings go to the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office, which will decide whether anyone should face charges.
West lived in Kansas City, Kansas. In cases where police use force, the KBI has said it releases details to the public as soon as it can while the review continues. The bureau has not said which officer fired or how long that officer has served with the department.
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Filed under: Kansas City MO Crime News
