Off-duty sergeant stops active shooter
A KCPD sergeant working an off-duty security assignment Thursday afternoon stopped an active shooter who had shot one person and killed another.
The uniformed sergeant had been hired to provide security for utility company workers at 14th and Illinois on Aug. 29. He was there a little after 2 p.m. when he saw a black SUV drive by. Less than a minute later, he heard shots being fired in the 1400 block of Bellefontaine. The sergeant ran toward the sound of shots. He saw a man shooting toward a white car. At least one person was still inside the car. The shooter continued to fire at and around the white car, backing up on foot toward his black SUV. The sergeant fired multiple times at the suspect, causing him to fall. When the suspect fell, the sergeant kicked the gun away from him and took him into custody. One of the sergeant’s shots struck the suspect in the leg, causing non-life-threatening injuries. The sergeant was not injured.
Police found one person the suspect shot had died, Elijah Muhammad. Another was struck by the suspect’s gunfire but survived. A third person the shooter had fired at was uninjured. Detectives stated in court documents that the shooting attack was unprovoked.
Regardless of being alone and the suspect actively firing at victims, the sergeant did not hesitate to put himself in harm’s way to stop the shooter. The suspect has been charged with second-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action and two counts of assault.