GALESBURG, Kan. — The principal of the middle school where fallen Kansas City, Kansas, Police Ofc. Hunter Simoncic, 26, attended said the town of Galesburg, Kansas, has been hit hard by a “season of loss.”
Simoncic was killed early Tuesday morning after Dennis Mitchell III allegedly intentionally struck Simoncic during a vehicle pursuit.
“It’s one of those pieces of news that just kinda sends waves through the whole community because everybody knew him," Galesburg Middle School principal Jared Han said.
Simoncic’s death comes after a 12-year-old and a 16-year-old were struck and killed by a freight train near neighboring Erie, Kansas, in June.
“As a school, we’re kind of still sorting through our feelings and working through the new normal of that tragedy, and to lose Hunter, it’s kinda driving it all home and bringing some of those feelings back," Han said.
Han said many current teachers at Galesburg Middle School taught Simoncic.
In a town of less than 150 people, Simoncic's passing hit hard, Han said.
“I wanted to hope that it wasn’t real and I knew that it was," said Rhonda Kane.
Kane led the Galesburg Christian Church's youth group from 2007 until 2018. She said Simoncic was part of that group for his four years of high school.
“He participated in almost every service project that we did," she said.
From helping paint a church to ringing a bell for the Salvation Army, Kane said Simoncic had a calling for service.
“Not surprised at all that law enforcement was a passion for him because just a real strong sense of justice and right and wrong and he hated when he saw kids hurting," Han said.
Kane said Simoncic's former youth group is "broken" over his passing, but is reminded of how much service he offered in his 26 years of life.
“Hunter was very service-oriented," Han said. "He was always looking out for others before himself. He was a blessing to our community and I know he was definitely for your community in Kansas City.”
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KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
