Airport police officer shot at Kansas City International, taken to hospital

A Kansas City International Airport police officer was injured in a shooting early Friday at the airport, according to Kansas City police, who are investigating whether she was shot by her own weapon while taking some suspects into custody.

The officer, a tenured female airport police officer, was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not thought to be life threatening, said Sgt. Jake Becchina, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department, which is the agency investigating the shooting.

She was shot in the leg while police were taking two people into custody at the airport, he said. The shooting occurred about 5 a.m. near Bern Street and Cookingham Drive.

A second airport police officer was injured in a collision prior to the shooting. That officer was treated for minor injuries.

Airport police received a call about 4:45 a.m. concerning a suspicious vehicle in one of the economy parking lots, Becchina said.

An officer responded and found a vehicle matching the description with two people inside. When the officer tried to pull over the vehicle, it sped away, Becchina said.

A short pursuit ensued that ended when the suspect and officer’s vehicles crashed at Bern Street and Cookingham Drive. The officer was injured in the crash, Becchina said.

Additional officers responded to the scene and took a man and woman into custody.

While one of the suspects was being placed inside a police vehicle, a struggle ensued and the female officer was struck by gunfire once in the leg inside the car, Becchina said.

Investigators are trying to determine whether the officer was shot by her own weapon, he said.

The suspect was not injured in the shooting. The Kansas City Police Department was brought in to investigate.

The shooting did not block traffic to the airport or airport operations. Traffic heading to the car rental locations and the nearby Marriott Hotel had a slight detour.

Bern Street was closed at Cookingham while detectives and crime scene investigators were collecting evidence. They have cleared the scene. They will continue to analyze the evidence and talk to any witnesses into the night and tomorrow, Becchina said.

Mayor Quinton Lucas posted a message on Twitter saying the shooting highlighted the dangers police face.

“We were reminded this morning of the danger our officers face each day with the shooting of a KCI Airport Police Department Officer,” Lucas wrote. “While we believe the injuries are non-life threatening, we will pray for a full recovery for the officer and for the safety of all her colleagues.”

The Kansas City Aviation Department operates a police force that covers KCI and Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport.

In 2021, the Kansas City police department said its officers would no longer patrol the airport, citing a staffing shortage. The eight officers who were assigned to KCI would be reassigned to other patrol functions, then police chief Rick Smith said.