A suburban Kansas City police officer who was wounded in a shootout that killed a car chase suspect has died, authorities said.
Police in Fairway, Kansas, announced late Monday in a news release that Officer Jonah Oswald died of injuries suffered in the Sunday morning shooting at a QuikTrip store in neighboring Mission, Kansas. The 29-year-old was a four-year veteran of the police force and leaves behind a wife and two young children. Police said the family has asked for privacy.
“We will remember him as a warm-hearted individual whose hard work and passion touched the lives of many,” Chief J.P. Thurlo said.
Police in the nearby suburb of Lenexa, Kansas, said it all started when Shannon Marshall, 40, from the town of Ashland City, Tennessee, near Nashville, fled from police along Interstate 35 in what officers believed was a stolen car. When officers initially found the vehicle, police said the driver struck a patrol car and fled.
Police from multiple agencies had been trying to arrest him when gunfire broke out. Marshall died in the shootout and Oswald was rushed to a hospital with critical injuries.
A second suspect, Andrea Rene Cothran, 32, of Goodlettsville, Tennessee, was charged Tuesday with aggravated battery, fleeing law enforcement, felony theft and reckless driving. Her bond was set at $1 million. Her attorney, Joel Rook, did not immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.
A Johnson County law enforcement team that is charged with reviewing officer-involved shootings is investigating.
This statement from Aisha Jefferson, QuikTrip’s Corporate Communication’s Manager:
“On behalf of the entire QT family, I want to extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Officer Jonah Oswald, and the entire Fairway Police Department in this difficult time. We are greatly appreciative of the Fairway Police and will continue to work closely with them on their ongoing investigation. We will continue to take necessary and appropriate measures to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees, customers and communities we serve.”