Officers had been responding to calls for help, according to Kansas City Police Chief Richard Smith.
“He was acting like he was crazy. Shirtless. His pants were halfway down his knees. Angry. Screaming,” the witness said, according to the affiliate.
When the police arrived, the suspect fled on foot, shooting at them. An officer was shot before another officer responded to the fire and hit the suspect, the Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Bill Lowe said during a press conference. Investigators said the suspect died at the scene.
The officer who sustained a gunshot wound is critically ill in surgery. Smith said his family is “in total shock” and his mother is “angry” at the violence in the city.
“Obviously it’s a difficult time. Obviously, these things are not something we want to see happen,” Lowe said.
The suspect shot the officer and the bus driver before getting off the bus, according to Lowe.
The injured officer, an 18-year-old force veteran, and the bus driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries. After getting off the bus, the suspect participated in a shooting with other KCPD officers and suffered critical injuries, Lowe told KSHB.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said on Twitter that he was “heartbroken and upset by what our Kansas fellow citizens and our officers face every day.”
The shooting has had an emotional effect on the Kansas City police force, Smith said.
“It is very difficult to speak to the officers at this time, I think I would tell them that the mission has not changed that our dedication to this city and the people of this city has not changed and now more than ever it is probably necessary,” Smith said as he contained tears.
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