Officer shot, killed in drive-by shooting

A suspect in a drive-by shooting fatally shot a 17-year veteran of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department on Tuesday as the officer was sitting in his patrol car, police said. Capt. Robert Melton, 46, was searching for the suspect when he drove up to someone who matched that person’s description just before 2 p.m., police spokesperson Tom Tomasic said. Before Melton could get out of his vehicle, the suspect opened fire and hit the officer multiple times, Tomasic said. The alleged shooter was caught five minutes later about a block away, he said. A police spokesperson said the suspect was being questioned Tuesday evening along with two other people suspected in the initial drive-by shooting. Police weren’t releasing the suspects’ names because charges hadn’t been filed. Melton was brought to the University of Kansas Hospital just before 2:30 p.m., but resuscitation efforts did not work, trauma surgeon James Howard said at a news conference.