Wednesday marks one year since Kansas City, Kansas Police Captain Robert “David” Melton was shot and killed in the line of duty.
Officers from multiple police departments, friends, and family of Melton gathered at the Cathedral of St. Peter in KCK Wednesday morning for a special mass to remember him.
“During the service, your mind goes back to everything that happened, so my mind kind of drifts back to losing Captain Melton that day,” KCK Police Chief Terry Zeigler said. “They recognized our first responders, and particularly the difficult job that police officers are faced with day in and day out.”
One year ago, officers responded to a shots fired call near Second and Edgerton. The caller told police multiple people were shooting at him from a vehicle. Officers arrived on scene, and the suspects fled from their vehicle after crashing it into a fence.
Melton searched for the other suspects. He had boxed in a suspect before he was shot numerous times.
Melton is described as a “big, loveable guy who liked to joke.”
His philosophy was leading from the front.
Melton served in law enforcement and the military, joining the Kansas Army National Guard in December 1986 the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office in 1990.
Melton left the sheriff’s department in December 1999 and then entered service with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department.
