NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Missouri police officer died Tuesday after he was shot during a traffic stop by a suspect who then fled, officials said.
Officer Daniel Vasquez, 32, was attempting to stop a vehicle for expired temporary tags in North Kansas City Tuesday morning when the car's driver shot the officer and drove away, Clay County Sheriff Will Akin said.
Vasquez was taken to the University of Kansas Health System. His death was announced about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday by the North Kansas City Police Department, where he had been an officer since 2021.
The suspect turned himself in to police in Chillicothe, about 70 miles north of Kansas City, after a Blue Alert had been issued for his car. No details about the suspect were released.
Officer Vasquez pulled over a driver in North Kansas City at 10:41 a.m. The driver fired shots at Vasquez, seriously hurting him, according to a news release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
The driver was a man with brown hair in a gray Ford Taurus. The car had a temporary license plate, 03GU43, that was issued in Missouri. The driver was armed with an unknown weapon, MSHP said in a news release.
The shooting happened at 21st and Clay streets in North Kansas City. The driver fled westbound on 21st Street, according to MSHP.
Tuesday afternoon MSHP sent out an update saying the suspect was taken into custody and the Blue Alert was canceled.
North Kansas City Police Chief Kevin Freeman said Vasquez was the first North Kansas City police officer to die in the line of duty.
“He was a shining star in our department,” Freeman said.
A Blue Alert is issued during the search of a suspect responsible for killing or seriously injuring a law enforcement officer.
