KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man with a gun who allegedly threatened a gas station clerk and was later shot by a Kansas City, Missouri, police officer is charged in Clay County Court with harassment.
Jon Roehl, 58, of KCMO, was being held Monday in the Clay County jail. His bond was set at $50,000.
The chain of events that led to Roehl being shot by the officer began around 8:30 a.m. Sunday inside a gas station at 8281 North Church Road.
Roehl walked into the gas station wearing a red and blue University of Kansas jacket and took a pair of sunglasses from a store display, according to a court document.
He walked to the counter, and the store employee told Roehl he would have to pay for the sunglasses or put them back.
Roehl threw the sunglasses and threatened to assault the store employee if the employee came outside, per the court document. He walked to a dark gray Toyota Camry and grabbed what appeared to be a handgun.
Then, he walked back into the store and approached the cash registers. The store employee told police it sounded like Roehl put a round of ammunition in the gun.
He allegedly told the clerk he was "going to put one in you."
The clerk demanded Roehl leave the store, and he did.
A computer check revealed several interactions with police officers and an address in the 1200 block of Northeast Parvin Road.
A Kansas City, Missouri, police officer spotted Roehl outside an apartment building still wearing the KU jacket, according to the court document.
He refused to comply with the officer's order, and the officer fired four shots at Roehl.
A witness told police she saw Roehl pull into the parking lot, get out of his car and walk toward a building in the complex. She said a police officer pulled in behind Roehl's car, got out, pulled his weapon and ordered Roehl to get on the ground.
Roehl ignored the commands, which the witness said were loud, and kept walking.
The officer fired four shots, and the witness said Roehl did not immediately fall but got on the ground, with the officer getting on top of Roehl.
The first contact by the officer was not captured on his body camera, but when Roehl was arrested, he appeared to be "extremely belligerent," according to the court document.
He asked the officer why he shot him, and the officer replied, "Because you had a gun."
Video from the store's surveillance cameras revealed an agitated Roehl threatening the store clerk.
He was treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and later taken to jail.
—
If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
