2 cops shot to death transporting inmate
Law enforcement is in mourning again in Kansas City, Kan., after two Wyandotte County sheriff ’s deputies were shot to death as they transported an inmate Friday morning.
Patrick Rohrer, 35, died from his injuries after he was taken to the University of Kansas Hospital soon after police were called to the shooting at the Wyandotte County Correctional and Court Services building in downtown Kansas City, Kan. He had seven years of service in law enforcement.
Theresa King, 44, had been listed in critical condition at the same hospital for much of Friday after she was shot. But shortly after midnight, she also died from her injuries, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department announced overnight. King had 13 years of service.
Officials said they believe that an inmate who was being transported from the jail across the street may have shot the deputies with one of their own weapons.
“When they pulled into the parking lot ready to transport these inmates, they (the deputies) were overcome,” said Wyandotte County Sheriff ’s spokeswoman Kelli Bailiff said at a news conference. “It is very possible that with their own firearm they were shot.”
John Garcia said he was just leaving the courthouse when he heard gunshots, and he and others were quickly told to go back inside.
Looking out a window, he saw three people on the ground in a parking lot behind the building, Garcia said.
“They were there at the courthouse. You know, you’re at one of the safest places where you can be. And, you know, this occurred right outside the courthouse, where there’s, you know, multiple police around,” he told the paper.
The inmate also was shot and transported to the hospital. Neither his name nor his condition was disclosed.
Sources told The Star that the suspect was Antoine Fielder, a 30-year-old with a long history of alleged crim- inal behavior.
No charges have been filed in Friday’s shooting.
Fielder was twice brought to trial on charges related to the 2015 killing of an Overland Park woman, but went free after two juries could not reach a unanimous verdict.
Friday marked the fourth time in the last three years a law enforcement official in Wyandotte County was shot. In 2016 two Kansas City, Kan., policemen were killed in the line of duty.
In a statement, David Alvey, mayor of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, said the city is saddened by the “senseless shootings” of the deputies.
“We must never forget the risk taken each day by our law enforcement personnel, and we must ever remember that they deserve our utmost respect and support,” Alvey said.
Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer was told of the shooting Friday as he arrived for a forum in Kansas City. He asked for a moment of silence after his speech.