Kansas City police: Officer shot in head remains stable

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City police officer who was shot in the head during an exchange of gunfire that left a suspect dead remains in stable condition Friday following surgery, authorities said.

A police spokesman, Officer Jacob Becchina, declined to release the name of the officer. The Missouri State Highway Patrol, which is heading the investigation into the Thursday evening shooting, identified the suspect in a tweet as Ky Johnson, 31, of Grandview.

The patrol did not immediately return phone messages left by The Associated Press on Friday seeking more information.

Highway patrol officials said police were called shortly before 5 p.m. to a McDonald’s restaurant where Johnson was waving a gun, then fled on foot. The officers chased him, and he turned and opened fire on them, striking one. A second officer fired back, highway patrol officials said.

The injured officer, who has been with the department for about 2 1/2 years, was hospitalized for emergency surgery. The officer is stable, but his injuries are “still very serious,” Kansas City police said in a statement Friday.

“We talk about the violence in this town,” Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith said. “We can see where this is headed.”

Mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted his support for the police following the shooting.

“The women and men of our department are dedicated to this city,” Lucas said. “Always have been. Always will be. We owe them our prayers tonight and our thanks and our resolve–all of us–to call out those who are terrorizing so many in our community.”

The shooting is the second that injured a Kansas City officer Thursday. Three people including a police officer were shot earlier Thursday after a reported robbery at a bus stop.