KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the second straight day, there was an officer-involved shooting in Kansas City, Missouri.
Authorities shut down the exit from Interstate 35 to Vivion Road shortly before 4:15 p.m. on Friday after a chase led to shots fired and a vehicle crashing into a house.
The incident started when Clay County Sheriff’s deputies initiated a traffic stop near Worlds of Fun. The vehicle, which KCPD later said turned out to be stolen, refused to stop and a chase ensued.
During the pursuit, deputies observed one of two occupants toss a firearm from the vehicle in the area of Northeast 56th and Drake streets in KCMO.
KCPD, which is investigated the shooting, said the vehicle continued to drive erratically before coming to a stop in the area of I-35 and Vivion.
A deputy field training officer and his trainee exited their Clay County patrol vehicle in an effort to take the driver and passenger into custody. The suspects refused verbal commands from the deputies then drove toward the deputies.
One deputy was struck by the vehicle. The other deputy proceeded to open fire, striking the driver.
At that point, the driver — a 21-year-old man, who was subsequently transferred to a local hospital in critical condition — lost control of the vehicle and crashed the vehicle into the corner of a house.
Deputies began took both occupants of the vehicle into custody and started first aid on the driver for his gunshot wounds, according to KCPD.
The driver, Samuel H. Deford, was charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action, tampering with a motor vehicle and resisting arrest. His mugshot is not available as he is receiving medical treatment.
The 20-year-old male passenger was detained for questioning. He has not been charged at this time.
"Whenever something like this happens, we advise our deputies to not talk to anyone so that way information does not get bungled up," Clay County Sheriff's Capt. Will Akins said in explaining why KCPD was investigating and details were scarce shortly after the incident. "We ask them to wait until investigators come in, so there is no conflict of information being discussed or perhaps even influenced.
People were at home when the vehicle hit the house, but they were uninjured, Akin said.
Police said the deputies were uninjured and the house sustained only minimal damage.
KCPD officers also responded to the scene and are handling the investigation.
Police were unable to locate the gun deputies saw thrown from the vehicle during a canvass of the area and ask anyone who may have found it to contact the KCPD Homicide Unit at 816-234-5043.
I-35 was briefly closed, while the ramp from northbound I-35 to Vivion Road and parts of Vivion Road remained closed for nearly six hours.
An off-duty KCPD officer shot a man Thursday afternoon during a disturbance in the 1400 block of Bellefontaine Avenue, which left one man dead and another wounded.
Michael D. Wilson, 31, was charged with second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and three counts of armed criminal action in connection with that shooting incident.
