Robert Melton, a veteran Kansas City police captain, was killed in a confrontation following a drive-by shooting and police chase on Tuesday, reported the
Kansas City Star.
Melton, 46, a veteran of the Kansas Army National Guard who served in Afghanistan, was shot about 2 p.m. near an intersection where the chase ended, noted the Star. It started with a reported drive-by shooting at about 1:30 p.m. near downtown Kansas City.
"As Capt. Melton was arriving, the suspects fell from the vehicle and opened fire, striking Capt. Melton and fatally wounding him," Kansas City Police Chief Terry Zeigler said at a news conference. "I don't have any more details than that and it may change as we work our way through this investigation."
Police arrested one suspect in the area and authorities took a second suspect into custody, but did not reveal when or where, according to the Star.
Kansas City police are still recovering from the death of detective Brad Lancaster, who was killed May 9 after he responded to a report of a suspicious person close to the Hollywood Casino, according to
KMBC-TV. The suspect in that case has been charged with capital murder noted the television station.
Melton's death comes days after the shooting death of three police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and less than two weeks from the shooting death of five more police officers in Dallas while manning a Black Lives Matter protest.
The Kansas City Star reported that, according to FBI statistics, Melton was the 31st police officer killed in the line of duty this year, up from the 16 last year and outpacing the average midyear total of 25.
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