BREAKING: Another Officer Down, This Time In Kansas City

We have another officer down responding to a “shots fired” call, this time in Kansas City, Kansas.

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An officer with Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department is in critical condition after being shot while investigating a report of person being shot at by several people in a vehicle.

Police say three or four people were inside the vehicle but jumped out and ran when officers arrived at the scene at 1:37 p.m. Tuesday. An officer took a suspect into custody at 1:39 p.m. A different officer was shot at 1:57 p.m. when he tried to make contact with another suspect.

Police spokesman Cameron Morgan says the search continues for additional suspects.

Law enforcement agencies are swarming the area attempting to capture additional suspects, and the Kansas City Star is reporting that heavily armed SWAT units using ballistic shields are conducting what appear to be targeted searches of residences in the area, suggesting that law enforcement has a good idea of the identities of their suspects.

Unlike recent many other officer-involved shootings in the past two weeks, this does not appear at this time to be an ambush of law enforcement officers by domestic terrorists ideologically aligned with the Black Lives Matter movement.

We’ll update this story as more information develops.

Update: Area news outlets are reporting that the officer did not survive his injuries.

A KCK police officer has died after being shot Tuesday afternoon.

Sources confirm to KCTV5 News the officer died while reporting on an armed disturbance call.

Police Chief Terry Zeigler said the shooting happened at 22nd Street and Haskell Avenue.

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Update: The officer killed was Captain Robert Dave Melton:

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Melton had a long history of service to Wyandotte County. He had served as captain of the Kansas City, KS Police Department since May 2015. Before then, he was a KCK police sergeant for over eight years.

Melton was a police lieutenant with the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office from Nov. 1990 – Dec. 1999, later joining the KCKPD as a patrol officer from Dec. 1999 – Nov. 2006. From 2007-2012, he was in the Kansas National Guard.

Melton’s death comes just after two months following the death of KCK police detective Brad Lancaster. Lancaster was shot and killed May 9 near the Kansas Speedway.

Update: Melton was murdered in his car when he drove up to suspects matching the description of those in the earlier disturbance. He never had a chance.

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