By Matti Gellman and Jenna Thompson
The Kansas City Star
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office announced attempted capital murder charges Thursday for the three suspects injured in a fentanyl bust turned shootout Wednesday, which also left five Kansas City, Kansas, police officers injured.
The charges carry a possibility of a life sentence.
Three officers were shot and seriously injured, while two additional officers were treated after being hit by scrap metal, according to District Attorney Mark Dupree.
Only one of the officers who was shot remains in the hospital for treatment. The two other officers shot were treated and released.
Defendants Cornell Lance Jones Jr., Samarion Ardel England and Jaeveon Mitchell-Locke also face several other felony charges, including aggravated assault against an officer, aggravated child endangerment and fentanyl distribution, according to the district attorney. The suspects range in age from 18 to 22 years old.
Dupree said bystanders were at the convenience store when the officers were shot, including three children. No one in the convenience store was injured in the shootout, although gunfire did enter the store, authorities said.
All three suspects are in custody with a bond of $250,000.
During a Thursday press conference, Dupree urged community members to spread awareness about the impact of fentanyl as its use continues to spread in the area.
“Speak out,” he said. “Fentanyl is killing our young and our old folks.”
Just this year, the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department collected 127,000 fentanyl pills and 24 pounds of powder, Dupree said.
The officers have prosecuted 26 cases related to fentanyl this year, four of which involved a victim dying as a result of the distribution or possession of the drug. Kansas City, Kansas, law enforcement reported that 31 of the 38 drug overdoses in 2023 resulted from fentanyl.
In 2021, 54 of 109 overdoses were related to fentanyl in Kansas City, Kansas. But just one year later in 2022, there were 132 fentanyl overdoses of 172 total drug overdoses.
Dupree said the rise in fentanyl is reminiscent of the crack cocaine epidemic in the 80s and early 90s.
Kansas City, Kansas, Police Chief Karl Oakman said the undercover officers had purchased fentanyl from the same suspected source and were attempting another undercover buy around 3 p.m. Wednesday before the shooting broke out.
The officers sustained serious, non-life threatening injuries in the parking lot of Fast Fred’s Market, a small restaurant and convenience store.
Shell casings and vehicles with bullet holes lay within the area marked off by police tape Wednesday afternoon.
Oakman said the department had been conducting an “ongoing” investigation into the suspects prior.
Across the street, Gia Bleu was on FaceTime with a friend when she heard brakes and a crash. The sound was followed by multiple shots being fired, including what sounded like a machine gun.
“I got down on the floor,” she said. “It was very loud, it sounded like Grand Theft Auto, like the video game.”
Another neighbor told The Star he heard what sounded like “100 gunshots.” Then, he saw what appeared to be two men walking handcuffed with police escorts near the convenience store.
One was covered in blood, he said.
Wednesday, the department’s chief called the incident a stark contrast to the promotion ceremony that officers celebrated just hours before.
“As a leader of an organization, that’s the one thing that keeps me up at night. How I’m putting young men and women at risk every night to protect the citizens of Kansas City, Kansas,” Oakman said.
Oakman announced at Thursday’s press conference that the Wyandotte County Health Department is putting together a plan to distribute Narcan, an overdose reversal drug, for citizens in light of growing concerns over fentanyl use.
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