Missouri police officer, process server killed in shooting, police say
Law enforcement responds to the shooting scene (WDAF image via FOX)
A court employee who was serving an eviction notice and a police officer were shot and killed outside Kansas City on Thursday.
A second officer was critically injured, but is expected to survive, police said at a news conference.
The officer killed in the shooting was identified as 35-year-old Cody Allen and has been with the Independence Police Department for two years, according to a FOX 4 report. He is survived by his wife and two children.
"I’m very tragically sorry to report that we lost one of our own," Police Chief Adam Dustman said
Dustman called Allen a hero and described the police department as a "broken family" over Allen's death.
"My heart breaks for the Independence Police Department and all the family and friends of their officer who succumbed to injuries from a shooting earlier today," said Quinton Lucas, Mayor of Kansas City, in a social media post. "I am praying for all others impacted today and all of the women and men of law enforcement in the Kansas City area."
Drexel Mack was identified as the process server who was also killed in the shooting. He was in his early 40s.
"We are devastated that a court employee, who is a public servant, was shot by a member of the public while performing their job," Presiding Judge Jalilah Otto said in a statement. "Our hearts are heavy and our thoughts are with our employee, our entire Court family, and the Independence Police Department."
The shootings happened around 1 p.m. in the town of Independence, Missouri, a suburb with about 122,000 residents.
A male suspect sustained minor injuries, Corporal Justin Ewing with Missouri State Highway Patrol said during a separate news conference.
There were no immediate details about what led up to the shooting.
Nearby schools were put into lockdown mode as a precaution, but those have since been lifted.
Information from FOX News and the Associated Press was used in this report.