According to News 4 Jax , a suspect in the non-fatal shooting of two Kansas City undercover detectives shot a third police officer before being taken down by police earlier today.
Police spokesman Sgt. Jacob Becchina said the first two officers were shot just before noon while working on an undercover operation at an area motel. The officers were investigating the case of murdered UMKC student Sharath Koppu, who was shot in an attempted robbery at a small restaurant on Friday, July 6.
The suspect fled the scene of the first shooting in a vehicle with another person, and when police pursued, the vehicle chase ended in more gunfire, injuring a third officer. The suspect managed to make his way into a residence not far from the second scene and barricade himself inside.
Officers with assault rifles formed a cordon around the neighborhood while patrols determined which house he was in. Worshipers at the United Believers Community Church were asked to leave the area.
According to WOWT 6 , the suspect was tracked to a home where a standoff began and more shots were heard by witnesses in the vicinity. The standoff ended shortly after 1 a.m., as the Kansas City Police Twitter feed posted an update.
The third officer struck by gunfire is in stable condition at this time. At approximately 1:15p the armed suspect exited a residence and once again exchanged gunfire with officers. He was shot and taken into custody. He was declared deceased by KCFD at that time.
— kcpolice (@kcpolice) July 15, 2018
According to KCTV 5 , multiple undercover detectives and tactical operations were working an ongoing investigation at the Sky Vu Motel near I-70 and 40 Highway.
The 25-year-old Koppu was a software engineer from Telangana, India, who came to the U.S. in January to pursue his master’s degree. He was working at J’s Fish and Chicken Market in the 5400 block of Prospect Avenue when the shooter entered and opened fire. His body was returned to Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) where it was received by family members and transported to Warangal, Koppu’s home town, for funeral rites.
The New Indian Express reported on the family’s reaction to Koppu’s death, particularly his uncle, Sada Shividu, who said the following about his nephew.
“He was the light of all the family gatherings, always smiling and encouraging all his cousins to study and work hard. I have two daughters and he always told me to ensure that they study further. He would time and again tell me what courses they should take up as the field of technology is ever-changing.”
“He graduated in CSC and since a lot of his friends were pursuing MS in the U.S., he too wanted to go. We are suspecting this to be a racist crime,” said Shivudu.
