Full Notification

Yesterday evening (7/21/2010) at around 5:55 p.m., a St. Joseph Police Officer was involved in a shooting in the 1100 block of Douglas St. Officers were dispatched to that location minutes earlier on a call of domestic disturbance. A citizen had called 911 reporting a male was in the area who had been involved in another incident the night before where he had displayed a gun. The citizen reported that same male was now in the area yelling at the same female and her baby.



Shortly after the officer arrived on scene, dispatch was notified by phone by another citizen that the officer had been shot at. The preliminary investigation indicates the subject was on foot in the area on the officer’s arrival, however he fled to a vehicle. There, while in a physical confrontation with the officer, the subject retrieved a handgun and fired the weapon. The officer shot the subject once. He then advised by radio having been shot at, and that the suspect had been shot. The officer then requested an ambulance. The 36 year old male was pronounced dead at the scene.



Officer Kenny Smith is the involved officer. He is a ten-year veteran of the St. Joseph Police Department and serves on the K-9 Unit. He has been placed on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated. This is required by St. Joseph Police Department policies for any officer-involved events resulting in serious injury or death. The name of the deceased is expected to be released tomorrow once proper notifications have been made.