239

I just spent the last few hours transcribing the recordings that KCPD released of Sunday's shooting. (We've also got them posted here and here.) The one thing that struck me was the officer who got shot at the Valero on Bannister. If you end up listening to them, his number is 239.

There's a lot of chatter on the tapes, but 239 -- who'd just been injured in a gun battle -- is frosty cool. Guy was able to give description, direction, the whole rundown on the suspect. He even pipes up a couple of minutes later to warn other officers about the shooter being suicidal.

Maybe it was just a flesh wound or a graze, but it doesn't take away from the fact that he was shot and was still able to keep his focus in an incredibly stressful situation. There was no tell in his voice that he'd even stubbed his toe, much less been hit by a bullet.

Ward Parkway shooting follow-up

Updates from the press conference: Shooter is a former employee at the Target store who'd been turned down for a private security license. Police say he had a plan to cause havoc at the store.

Chief Corwin gives credit to the officers who responded, including the one who was shot at the gas station on Bannister Road, for helping stop the violence before it got worse. The injured officer actually returned fire using the same arm where he was hit.

ID of Victims: Leslie N. Ballew, 33, of Kansas City and Luke A. Nilges, 30, of Shawnee were parked on either side of the shooter's car at Ward Parkway. Patricia Reed, 67, was his neighbor. More info here, with updates to come.

The bomb squad was called to the shooter's house after finding what appears to be an explosive device.

Tony's Kansas City weighs in. A small clip from his post this morning:

But yet again, the question remains the same: Do you have a right to feel safe in a world/city filled with so much suffering? Your mileage may vary but I've already made note of the many murders in this town that went overlooked because they didn't hit the white community where they live.

And always, always it strikes me as funny that so many Plaza protesters carry signs for peace and/or justice (ugh) when that concept doesn't really exist merely a few blocks to the East no matter what the outcome of the hopeless cause they're fighting for on the other side of the planet.

3 people dead in a mall shooting won't come close to the inevitable death toll this City will rack up when it comes to young, Black males this summer but that issue didn't even merit more than passing mention during the last mayoral election . . . Truly, more people were interested in potholes or TIFs (especially most of the worthless local political bloggers) rather than anything having to do with what is tantamount to a yearly killing spree in Kansas City.

Missouri lags behind in 911?

From The AP: Missouri's emergency service coverage lags behind the rest of the country and is among the nation's worst in allowing 911 operators to determine a caller's location.

Throughout most of the country, it is assumed that when someone picks up a wireline phone that the caller will be able to connect to a local 911 system. So most of the attention has focused on upgrading systems to handle wireless and Internet calls.

But an Associated Press review of data from the state, trade groups and a consultant's report shows that roughly 20 percent of Missouri's counties lack a fully functioning system for even landline telephones. And fewer than one-third of Missour's counties can track a cell phone caller's location.

Wendy vs. Wendy

Two managers of an Indiana Wendy's are accused of robbing a nearby Wendy's restaurant. Their scheme came undone when the victim actually chased one of the bad guys down, police said.

Update on Shauntay Henderson

Shauntay Henderson pleads not guilty. Her attorney says she'd been talking about surrendering, you know, before the police actually arrested her.

OP steps up seat-belt enforcement

Overland Park will have extra officers on the street May 7-13 doing aggressive enforcement of traffic laws, especially seat-belt laws. The campaign is being funded through a KDOT grant.

ID in 43rd and Highland shooting

From The Star: A man who was shot to death early Saturday was identified Sunday as 32-year-old Demetricus Morris. Police found Morris inside a parked vehicle at 43rd Street and Highland Avenue. Three people were questioned at a nearby residence about a disturbance that preceded the shooting, but no one was in custody Sunday.

Indiana police give feuding moms "time out"

Two feuding Indiana moms were arrested after they got into a shouting match outside their kids' elementary school, police said. One woman allegedly had a pocket knife, the other reportedly had a tire iron up her sleeve. Hat Tip: Thanks, kmb!

Take Your Son And Daughter To Prison Day

I hadn't realized this, but some prisons do participate in Take Your Son And Daughter To Work Day. Prison guards have a tough job, so it's only right for them to show off a little for their kids. This story from California says kids visiting the Chino prison got to look at a collection of confiscated shivs and even try out The Hole. That sounds three times more awesome than State Farm any day of the week.

Hat Tip: Thanks, Richard!

Update on student who wrote "disturbing" essay

Remember the Chicago high-schooler who was charged with disorderly conduct after he wrote an essay that his teachers considered very disturbing? Well, he had signed enlistment papers for the Marines, but they've dropped him because of the charge.

He hopes to re-enlist if the charges are dropped; he's already completed the necessary tests, including the psychiatric eval.

Update on Jesse Ross

Unfortunately, there's not much to report yet. Ross, a UMKC student, disappeared in November while he was visiting Chicago for a conference. His family has worked hard to turn up leads by traveling to Chicago, passing out fliers and giving interviews to media there. They've contacted a psychic and are considering hiring a private investigator. The Chicago police say it's still an open case.

If you know something, the number for Chicago police is  312-744-8266. The local TIPS line is 816-474-TIPS (474-8477).

U News story on Ross' disappearance.
Jesse Ross' MySpace page.
Crime Library's report on the case.
The "missing person" flier for this case -- Reward is $10K.

KC dad accused of child abuse

Casey Crowley, 32, has been charged with one count of child abuse involving his 7-month-old daughter. The hospital says the injuries are consistent with shaking, but Crowley maintains his innocence. He says the girl fell off a bed while he was in another room. Download a PDF of the probable cause here..

"Finders keepers" not as legally sound as you thought

A bank error put about $100K into a Nebraska man's account -- now he's in hot water for spending approximately $80K for that. From the county attorney: "'Finder's keepers' and 'possession is nine-tenths of the law' aren't legal principles," said Sarpy County Attorney Lee Polikov.

Hat Tip: Thanks, John Boy!

Woman accused of demanding $10K or she'd kill her own kids

Authorities say a woman wrote a St. Louis TV station and demanded $10,000 or she'd kill her kids ... and maybe her ex-boyfriend, too. The woman was arrested on unrelated charges while a hand-writing expert is consulted. She denies writing the note, which includes her SSN and many, many misspellings.

Open Thread ... Monday

Good morning, everybody. The Open Thread -- the blog's sanctuary for off-topic comments and salutations -- is back and open for business. Feel free to post links to stories you see elsewhere on the Web, too. Thanks for participating, and have a great day!

(I check the OT, but if you need to reach me directly, my email is jhart@kcstar.com.)

KCPD plans DUI checkpoint

This one's set for this coming Saturday, May 5, somewhere in Midtown.

KS Legislature wants more anti-bullying programs

The Kansas Legislature has passed a new bill requiring schools to offer anti-bullying programs, though the Journal-World's story doesn't get too much into the specifics, regarding how often it has to be offered, etc. The goal is to teach bullies to be more sympathetic and the picked-upon to have better "resiliency skills."

Proponents also say this might prevent school violence, since a lot of school shooters are students who've been bullied.

Ottawa bank teller helps thwart Secret Shopper scam

The Ottawa Herald's got a good story about a bank teller stopping a young mother from falling into a secret-shopper scam. She could've lost nearly $3,000.

How it works: Mom was supposed to deposit a cashier's check and spend the bulk of it on money orders at Wal-Mart, which she'd then send to the scammers. Except the mom would've been on the hook for the original cashier's check, which was a fake.

(Hat Tip: Thanks to Elaine Adams!)

Appellate judges overturn Columbia murder conviction

Last week, an appeals panel overturned the conviction of Steve Rios, a former Columbia policeman accused of killing Jesse Valencia, a Mizzou student he was having an affair with. The court said Rios deserved a new trial because hearsay was allowed in his last one. The attorney general's office says they're going to ask the full appeals court or the Missouri Supremes to look at the case in an attempt to stop a new trial.

(Hat Tip: Thanks to Blondie!)

Parrot-napping in Wichita

Somebody apparently broke into the Sedgwick County Zoo and stole two macaws, Mac and Cheese, late Thursday or early Friday. I guess it's kind of a big deal for the zoo, which has set up its own hotline for tips, 316-266-8280.

New charges in Chicago bar beating

Remember our old friend, 250-Pound Chicago Cop Who Beat Up The Lady Bartender? He's facing 14 new felony charges, including official misconduct and intimidation among others.

Update on Islamic charity case from Columbia

AP's got an update on the Islamic American Relief Agency-USA case from Columbia. The defense attorneys say they've got some steep logistical challenges -- including finding a translator with the appropriate security clearances and doesn't already work for the government. The lawyers say they also have to listen to about 80,000 recorded phone conversations.

Police: Man passes out fliers with ex-wives' naked pix

An Indiana man has been accused of passing out fliers with nude photos of his ex-wives in sexually explicit positions. Not sure how many actually made the rounds, but he reportedly had about 1,000 printed.

Charges in KC homicide from February

Nicholas Bass -- nickname "Gore" -- has been charged in the fatal drive-by shooting of Aaron Johnson on Feb. 19 in the 6800 block of The Paseo. Bass faces a count of second-degree murder. Link to the PDF of the probable cause.

Ward Parkway shooting

UPDATED: Two victims died at Ward Parkway, plus the shooter. An officer was shot and injured at a gas station on Bannister, but should be OK. And it all apparently comes back to a dead woman who was found in her home near 93rd and Cleveland earlier this afternoon. The Star's latest report is here.

Reports from other local media: KMBC, KSHB, WDAF and KCTV. The story was also the lead or a secondary headline for many national media. Most of them were picking up the AP feed, available here.

We had extra people working today. I went to the scene at 93rd and Cleveland, which was comparatively quiet compared to the mall. The neighborhood's north of Bannister, west of U.S. 71 -- older, blue-collar. It's next to a large apartment complex where I've been for police calls, but this street is relatively peaceful, homeowners said. Talked to a few neighbors, who said the residence of the house in question was an elderly lady. They said she was nice, a longtime resident, but most said it had been a few days since anyone had seen her.

Reaction from local bloggers ...

General Blather: I blame the idiots in the media for sensationalizing this crap. I blame NBC for assaulting us with visions of that crazy asshat responsible for the Virginia Tech shootings two seconds after the last victim fell. Simple-minded peons now know how to get their faces on every major network without having to go through mindless auditions for crappy reality shows.

There's a fine line between insanity and genius: If you didn't know, there was a shooting at the Ward Parkway Mall today. The TJ Maxx that I work at is there. I was NOT at work today, and I'm perfectly fine, if a little freaked out. All the news said was that the shooting happened in a Starbucks (WTF?) and perhaps 3 civilians had been killed, and perhaps a police officer. This is very sad. There had been an increase in crime since the Bannister Mall closed.

Happy In Bag, who knew people who were there when the shooting happened

Kruse Kronicle

Tidy Bowl

Hip Suburban White Guy, who argues for tougher gun-control.

Allison Stein's Live Journal

Blue Girl, Red State

The official KCPD statement: Officers were called Sunday, April 29th, at about 149 pm to the 3700 block of East 93rd street to check the welfare of an elderly woman.  When the officers arrived, they discovered a dead woman inside the home.  Officers were also told the woman's car was missing.  The officers put out a description of the woman's car.

At about 311 pm, an officer on patrol saw the vehicle that was reported missing from the woman's home.  The officer stopped the car at 1311 Bannister road.  When he stopped the car, the driver began shooting at the officer.  The officer returned fire but was struck in the arm by one of the gunman's shots.  The officer put out a description of the vehicle to officers.  It is unknown if any of the officer's shots struck the man.  He was transported to an area hospital for treatment.  He was treated and released.  The officer is 44 years old and has been with the department since January 1992.

At about 327 pm, we received a call regarding an outside disturbance with shots fired at the Ward Parkway mall, 8600 Ward Parkway.  While on the way to the call, the officers received information that a man was inside the mall with a long gun.  Officers from Kansas City and Leawood, along with security from the mall, confronted the man inside the common area of the mall.  During this confrontation, the man was shot to death by the officers.  It is believed the dead man is the one who shot the officer on Bannister road.  His vehicle was found in the parking lot.  Additionally, two people were found shot to death on each side of the vehicle the man was driving.