Duty Death: Officer James Muhlbauer - [Kansas City]
End of Service: 15/02/2023
By Jenna Thompson, Katie Moore
The Kansas City Star
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Police Officer James Muhlbauer was identified as the victim of a fatal crash that unfolded Wednesday while he was patrolling with his K9 police dog.
The collision occurred about 10:15 p.m. when the officer’s patrol car was hit by another vehicle, causing a secondary impact with a pedestrian, said Sgt. Jake Becchina, a police department spokesman.
The pedestrian was declared dead at the scene. Muhlbauer, a 20 year veteran of the department, was taken to a hospital where he died.
The police dog, Champ, was also killed in the crash.
The driver of the vehicle that hit the police car was injured and was in police custody pending investigation.
In a message posted to Twitter, Mayor Quinton Lucas said the city is grieving for the officer, the pedestrian and the police dog.
“This morning, our city mourns the loss of life of a twenty-year veteran of the Kansas City Police Department, along with an innocent civilian and a canine officer,” Lucas wrote. “My prayers are with the families and friends of those we have lost and all of the women and men of law enforcement.”
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