Police Shot At During Rescue Of Child

From the Kansas City Police Department:

February 1, 2021

Police managed to rescue a 6-year-old when her father used her as a shield after firing at officers Sunday night.

Officers were called to the 3300 block of E. 60th Street about a man dragging a screaming child down the street at about 9:30 p.m. Jan. 31. Officers found the house where the man had gone and saw drops of fresh blood on the porch leading to the front door. Officers could hear a child screaming inside, so they went in.

The screams were coming from upstairs in the house. When the officers got to the top of the stairs, a 37-year-old man confronted them holding a gun. One of the officers deployed his Taser at the man to get him to drop the gun. The man responded by firing at the officers on the stairs. They retreated back down the stairs, with one falling and injuring his arm.

The officers again tried to contact the man, only this time they saw he was holding his 6-year-old daughter in front of him like a shield as she continued to scream for help. The officers did not see a gun in his hand this time, so they rushed toward him to save the girl. One pulled the child away and passed her down the stairs to a waiting officer who whisked her outside to a patrol car to wait for an ambulance. Officers then were able to safely get the man into custody at that time.

Other than the officer who injured his arm retreating from the suspect’s gunfire on the stairs, no one was physically hurt. Investigation is continuing into both the apparent child abuse and assault on officers.

This press release was produced by the Kansas City Police Department. The views expressed here are the author’s own.