Missouri Highway Patrol defends investigation of fatal Kansas City police shooting
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is defending its ongoing investigation of a fatal Kansas City police shooting after a group of area ministers raised questions over the way the state agency initially characterized what happened.
Sgt. Bill Lowe, a spokesman for MSHP, said Tuesday that the highway patrol wished to address the issues raised by the ministers alleging their concerns were dismissed by state investigators. He said those accusations are “categorically incorrect.”
“During the course of this investigation, we have seen video, we have spoken to witnesses. We have done our due diligence and done it in a very integral way,” Lowe said. “The only way we can do our job is to do it impartially.”
Asked whether the state agency considers the shooting to be justified, Lowe said such determinations are not part of the agency’s role in such investigations.
“It’s not up to our interpretation to say anything is justified. It’s up to our interpretation to disseminate the facts and how they occurred,” Lowe said. “The ultimate goal is to send those facts over to the prosecuting attorney for their determination.”
Earlier Tuesday, the group of prominent Kansas City ministers held a press conference raising concerns over the investigation of the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Malcolm Johnson on March 25.
The ministers, along with an attorney representing the Johnson family, said surveillance video taken inside the store contradicted the timeline and description of events first offered by the state investigators. In it, Johnson appears to be restrained on the ground by police officers before he is shot.
Among the ministers was Rev. Darron Edwards, a leader with Getting to the Heart of the Matter, a group of local faith leaders who have been cooperating with the Kansas City Police Department. Edwards said the surveillance video showed “an execution,” saying he and other ministers brought this to the attention of state investigators.
“To be honest with you, we were dismissed,” Edwards said.
The surveillance video, released by the ministers following the press conference, shows two Kansas City police officers enter the gas station convenience store with guns drawn. They struggle with Johnson for a few minutes — much of which is shown off camera — in the moments before Johnson is fatally shot.
A Kansas City police officer was also shot in the leg during the encounter.
The highway patrol has been the lead investigative agency for police shootings in Kansas City since June 2020. Up until then, the Kansas City Police Department investigated its own officers, a practice that was criticized by some community leaders.
Lowe, the MSHP spokesman, said investigators have been in contact with Edwards and offered time to meet with him but those requests were unreturned. He added that the highway patrol continues to ask anyone with evidence or any witnesses to bring those details to the attention of its investigative team.
Lowe also said the state agency stands by the initial description of events that Johnson was armed with a gun during the encounter. He did not elaborate on the details surrounding how the officer was struck by gunfire, citing the ongoing investigation.
