By Tony Rizzo
The Kansas City Star
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two Kansas City police officers and a third man were shot during an exchange of gunfire about 1:50 this afternoon at Gregory Boulevard and Myrtle Avenue.
Another officer rushed the most seriously wounded officer to a hospital in a pick-up truck. That wounded officer was hit three times. Later this afternoon, police officials reported that he was in critical condition at an area hospital. The second officer was wounded in the arm and was reported to be in stable condition.
Officers arrested two persons at the scene.
According to police, three uniformed tactical officers tried to pull over a car at Cleveland and Gregory. The car headed east before the driver stopped at Myrtle. As officers approached the car, the driver got out and began shooting, police said. The officers returned fire.
Sgt. Tony Sanders, a police spokesman, would not say what type of investigation the officers were conducting when the shooting happened.
A woman standing more than a block away reported hearing gunfire then “cops were everywhere,” she said. Two other witnesses saw a black truck and a white car in the area shortly before the shooting began.
One witnesses reported hearing 50 to 60 rounds being fired.
Police began a door-to-door canvass to make sure no one else in the area had been hit.
Copyright 2007