Friends of a man shot and killed by police on Sunday say they are shocked at what happened.
Police responded to a home on Northwest Hickory Street on Sunday afternoon after people inside the home called to report a man assaulting family members.
When an officer arrived at the scene, police said 34-year-old Jeff Lanahan charged at him with a knife.
Authorities said the officer was forced to shoot Lanahan.
The description of Lanahan by his friends paints a much different picture of the shooting victim.
"He was the nicest guy ever," explained Kimberly Gibson, who said she was friends with Lanahan since high school. "You could never ask for a more loyal friend."
"He was the kind of guy that wanted to make everyone else happy," said Jeff Marcotte, who said he frequently saw Lanahan at a local comic book store.
Michael Gibson, Kimberly Gibson's husband, said Lanahan was the best man at his wedding.
"Jeff was a good man," he explained. "I considered him a brother. If you needed anyone for mediation or to talk to, he was your man."
Several friends of Lanahan said he had Asperger's syndrome. They said Lanahan went through Navy boot camp a few years ago, only to be turned away because of his autism.
Friends said Lanahan was dealing with the recent passing of his father and the upcoming move away from his home at the time of the shooting on Sunday.
"He wanted his father back," explained Michael Gibson. "He didn't want to move. He just wanted things to go back to normal."
The Gibsons said they last saw Lanahan over the weekend as they were helping him move into their home.
"I just talked to him on Saturday," said Kimberly Gibson. "Packed up a bunch of his stuff and moved all of his stuff into my house."
The Lee's Summit police officer who shot and killed Lanahan is now on routine administrative leave. Police said the officer is a 24-year veteran of the force.
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Tom Dempsey can be reached at tom.dempsey@kshb.com.
