Deadly Missouri shooting: Eviction attempt claims lives of police officer and court employee

On Thursday, in Independence, Missouri, located approximately an hour away from Kansas City, a police officer and a court employee were fatally shot while conducting an eviction at a residence, as reported by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

At a Thursday night press conference, Justin Ewing from the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported that the incident resulted in four people being shot. Three officers belonging to the Independence Police Department and one civil process server from the Jackson County Circuit

Those killed were Independence police officer Cody Allen and court employee Drexel Macka. The other two officers who were shot are recovering from their injuries.

"I’m very tragically sorry to report that we lost one of our own," Independence Police Chief Adam Dustman said. He identified the deceased officer as Cody Allen, 35. He added that Allen "always had a smile" and described the police department as a "broken family" over his death.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson released a statement on Twitter as the situation unfolded, confirming that officers were shot and injured.

The man suspected in the shooting was in custody and sustained minor injuries, Corporal Justin Ewing with the Missouri State Highway Patrol said at a news conference.

"We are devastated that a court employee, who is a public servant, was shot by a member of the public while performing their job (...) Our hearts are heavy and our thoughts are with our employee, our entire Court family, and the Independence Police Department" - Judge Jalilah Otto said in a statement.

Source: CBS News