KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Clay County Sheriff's Office deputy shot and killed an armed man during an altercation in a motel parking lot near Worlds of Fun on Monday afternoon, authorities said.
A Clay County deputy was conducting a car check around 4:15 p.m. at the parking lot of a Motel 6 at 3636 N. Randolph Road, according to the Kansas City Police Department, which is investigating the deputy-involved shooting.
"The deputy was just on regular patrol where the vehicle caught his attention," KCPD spokesman Capt. Tim Hernandez said. "(We) don’t have the exact information of what occurred, what led him to conduct the car check, but that’s information we will get in our investigation."
During the encounter, police said, a fight broke out between the deputy and the driver in the car. Police said the deputy “was forced into using lethal force.” The deputy was not injured in the altercation, and a Clay County Sheriff's Office spokesperson described the deputy as "okay" in a tweet.
Witnesses told 41 Action News the deputy instructed the man to put down his gun down to four to five times before they heard a single gunshot. Hernandez confirmed Tuesday morning that the man was armed with a firearm when the altercation occurred.
The man died at the scene. Hernandez said his identity will not be released until family has been notified.
As the evening unfolded, guests at the Motel 6 had a tough time getting in and out of the property. Diana Weicht, who has family staying at the motel, was one of those guests.
"When I got here, they told me — I waited, they wanted to come out of the room. They wouldn’t let them out of the room,” Weicht said. “They told them they had to go back for their safety, so I went up and asked and he said, ‘It’s going to be a bit.’”
As crime scene technicians collected evidence, they came across two suspicious devices in the back of the vehicle that is at the center of the investigation.
Police said the devices were not explosive and were disposed of properly.
The KCPD Homicide Unit is continuing to investigate the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to call 816-234-5043
