(KS) Kansas City Kansas Police Department
It is with a profound sense of loss and pain that we share with our community that Officer Hunter Simoncic died this morning from injuries he sustained while deploying stop sticks in the 7200 block of State Ave. Details are contained in the release below from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the investigation.
Dennis Mitchell III, 31, of Kansas City, Kan. has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder, vehicular homicide, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, theft, criminal possession of a firearm, and aggravated failure to appear. Formal charges are pending.
Officer Simoncic earned a B.S. in sociology from Pittsburg State and a masters in forensic science from Oklahoma State University. He worked for the Southeast Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Center as a shift supervisor and graduated from the KCKPD Academy in 2023. He volunteered weekly to read with children at Benjamin Banneker Elementary School through Lead to Read KC; he may have read to your child, or one you know. Officer Simoncic was 26 years old. Like Deputy Elijah Ming, who was taken from us just weeks ago, Officer Simoncic was making a difference.
While he grew up in a small town in southeast Kansas, he chose to serve our community because, in his words, "I want to take what I have learned in life to make positive changes in a community I believe truly deserves it." Let that sink in.
The Simoncic family supported his service to our community, please, support them through a donation to the KCK Fraternal Order of Police/Lodge #4 Memorial Fund c/o the Simoncic Family. Donations are now being accepted at all Public Safety Credit Union locations.
God speed Hunter. You and Elijah rest easy, we will take it from here.
FROM KBI
KBI agents are investigating a vehicle pursuit that occurred Tuesday morning in Kansas City, Kansas, resulting in an officer being struck and killed.
The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department (KCKPD) requested KBI assistance at around 1:55 a.m. KBI special agents responded to the scene. Kansas Highway Patrol’s Critical Highway Accident Response Team is also assisting with documenting the vehicle incidents.
At approximately 12:30 a.m., officers from the KCKPD were dispatched near the 7700 block of Everett Ave, regarding shots being fired.
At approximately 12:40 a.m., officers located an unconscious man in the driver’s seat of a truck. As officers approached the driver, he woke up and fled the scene.
The driver, later identified as Dennis Mitchell III, 31, of Kansas City, was pursued by law enforcement. He abandoned the truck, entered another vehicle, and continued fleeing from officers.
During the pursuit, two KCKPD officers exited their vehicle to stage stop sticks in the 7200 block of State Ave. Mitchell drove toward an officer, striking him before continuing to flee the area. The officer, identified as Hunter Simoncic, 26, was struck and transported to the University of Kansas Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased.
At approximately 12:55 a.m., Mitchell wrecked the truck near the 6400 block of Kaw Dr. He was taken into custody and was transported to the University of Kansas Medical Center for examination. Mitchell was treated, released and transported to the Wyandotte County Jail. It was later learned both trucks had been reported stolen. Mitchell was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder, vehicular homicide, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, theft, criminal possession of a firearm, and aggravated failure to appear. Formal charges are pending. When this investigation concludes case findings will be presented to the Wyandotte County District Attorney for determination of charges. The investigation is ongoing.
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