Kansas City, Kan. – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Thursday morning in Kansas City, Kansas.
At approximately 5 a.m., a female subject called 911 requesting assistance with a disturbance involving her adult son in their apartment in the 1400 block of North 78th Place, in Kansas City. Officers met with the caller and then spotted the male subject outside the apartment in an SUV. They attempted to question him, but he drove off.
Preliminary information indicates, at approximately 6 a.m., a second 911 call was received. The female subject again requested officers. Two KCKPD officers were dispatched, and upon arrival they observed the SUV from earlier. The engine of the vehicle was running, but it was unoccupied.
When they went to the apartment door to check on the female caller, the male subject, later identified as Jesse Fitzgeral, 27, of Kansas City, ran out of the apartment and toward officers holding a metal object. During a brief physical struggle, one officer fired, striking Fitzgeral.
Life saving measures were attempted, but Fitzgeral succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident. After the shooting, a metal spoon was located near Fitzgeral.
This independent investigation aims to discover all events leading up to the officer-involved shooting. In police use of force cases, the KBI releases details to the public as soon as possible. This information is preliminary in nature and is based on evidence collected and early statements of the parties involved, witnesses, medical personnel, and others. It does not represent final or thorough findings, which take several weeks to complete.