KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The fatal shooting of a Kansas City, Kan., police officer was not part of a planned ambush but the work of “another criminal” trying to evade arrest, authorities said Wednesday.
Police Chief Terry Zeigler told reporters that authorities have two men in custody, but declined to give details about possible charges.
The department is working with prosecutors and planned to present the case to them “hopefully later today,” Zeigler said, though the Wyandotte County district attorney’s office said charges were not expected Wednesday.
While the attack isn’t part of the recent string of targeted shootings of police in the U.S., Zeigler said the hate against police must stop.
“This crime does not fit into the national narrative of planned attacks against law enforcement officers, but it does fit the narrative when it comes to the fact that words matter. The hate and anti-police speech has got to stop because the consequences are real,” said Zeigler, who paused briefly to compose himself at the news conference.
Capt. Robert Melton was by himself searching for a suspect in a drive-by shooting when he drove up to someone who matched that person’s description just before 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Before the 46-year-old could get out of his vehicle, he was shot several times through his passenger-side window, the chief said, adding that the department was reviewing its procedures.
Mayor Mark Holland also said it doesn’t appear that Melton’s death “was a planned ambush against police” and that the death is “another example of another criminal trying to escape arrest.”
Melton was a 17-year veteran of the department. He also had served in the Kansas Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan before he retired in 2012, according to the guard. Melton had also been awarded several military honors, including the Bronze Star Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster.
Melton, whose partner is expecting a child, also leaves three other children from previous relationships, police said.
His family has asked for privacy.