Kansas City police announce public visitation for officer killed in crash alongside K-9
A public visitation for the Kansas City police officer killed in a crash last week alongside his police K-9 has been set for Wednesday.
Community members who want to pay their respects to Officer James Muhlbauer, 42, and his police dog Champ, can arrive between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Municipal Auditorium at 301 West 13th Street in Kansas City.
Muhlbauer was patrolling with Champ when they were struck Wednesday night by another vehicle near Truman Road and Benton Boulevard. The impact caused a secondary collision with a pedestrian, police officials said.
The officer, known to family and friends as “Jim,” was married and a father. He joined the Kansas City Police Department in 2002. Champ was a 3-year-old Dutch Shepherd.
An 11:30 a.m. funeral service will follow the visitation Wednesday. The department plans to livestream the service.
A father, KCPD veteran
Muhlbauer spent his career in the patrol division; for the past three years he’s served with the K-9 unit.
In 2014, Muhlbauer worked closely with the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office leading up to his arrest of Brandon Howell, who was later convicted of five counts of first-degree murder.
In a news conference Thursday, city officials expressed their grief about the tragedy, noting both Muhlbauer and his K-9 Champ were serving the city when they died.
“The officers were serving and protecting this city,” Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said. “They were putting themselves in harms way. They were being public servants the city needs. And in the moment we lost them. Our department is hurting. We’re sad and we’re shaken.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas also posted his condolences on Twitter.
“This morning, our city mourns the loss of life of a twenty-year veteran of the Kansas City Police Department, along with an innocent civilian and a canine officer,” Lucas wrote. “My prayers are with the families and friends of those we have lost and all of the women and men of law enforcement.”
Driver charged
On Friday, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced her office filed two counts of involuntary manslaughter against Jerron Lightfoot, 18, of Tonganoxie, for operating a vehicle at an excessive speed and running a red light, causing the fatal crash.
The crash was reported at about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday when Muhlbauer’s patrol car was hit by another vehicle near Truman Road and Benton Boulevard. The impact caused a secondary collision with a pedestrian, Sgt. Jake Becchina, a Kansas City Police department spokesman, said at the time.
Officers who responded to the crash found a man standing by a white Ford Fusion, one of the crashed vehicles. The man was later identified as Lightfoot, the driver and sole occupant of the Ford, according to court records filed Thursday.
The second vehicle at the crash scene was the marked police car driven by Muhlbauer, who was found unconsious at the scene. Authorities say he was wearing a seatbelt. His police K-9 Champ was discovered dead in the back second row.
Muhlbauer was taken to an area area hospital and later pronounced deceased. Police found a second deceased male, a man in his 50s who has not been publicly identified, under the police vehicle.
Court records describe video footage of the crash that shows the police officer traveling east on Truman Road with a green light at the intersection with Benton Boulevard. The white Ford was shown traveling south on Benton Boulevard at a high rate of speed, and authorities say Lightfoot failed to stop at the red light just before striking the police vehicle. Prosecutors say the officer’s dash cam also showed he had a green light as he went through the intersection.
Authorities said tests of the Ford’s electronic ACM system showed the vehicle’s brakes were working prior to the crash, and that the vehicle was traveling at 85 miles per hour or more just before impact.
The Fraternal Order of Police started a fundraiser for Muhlbauer’s family. Donations can be made here.
