Independence shooting had 4 victims, but charges for only 3. Here’s what officials say

Bill Lukitsch, Katie Moore
·2 min read
6

Charging documents filed by Jackson County prosecutors Friday in the deadly shooting at a northeastern Independence home the day before discuss three of the four victims.

The shooting Thursday during an eviction killed a police officer and a civil process server, and wounded two other officers.

Independence Police Officer Cody Allen, 35, and Drexel Mack, a civil process server with Jackson County Circuit Court, died.

Two other Independence police officers were shot. One underwent surgery and the other had minor injures. Both are expected to make full recoveries, Independence Police Chief Adam Dustman said Thursday.

Larry D. Acree, 69, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault and three counts of armed criminal action, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday.

The charges related to Allen, Mack and the officer who underwent surgery, court documents indicated.

Police vehicles line up for a procession to escort the body of fallen Independence police officer Cody Allen from Centerpoint Medical Center to the medical examiner’s office on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Independence. Allen was shot and killed in the line of duty hours earlier who in the northeast part of the city. Tammy Ljungblad/tljungblad@kcstar.com

The documents do not say anything about a fourth victim.

During a news conference Friday, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said the investigation was ongoing and that “we will get there with additional charges.”

“It’s just been hours, you know, not days,” she said. “Sometimes when investigations occur, you do the biggest items first. So we’re simply trying to work through the evidence as quickly as we can, but also methodically and thoughtfully. So we’re going to get there.”

The first gunshots were fired shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday in the 1100 block of North Elsea Smith Road, near East Bundschu Road, said Cpl. Justin Ewing, a spokesman with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which is investigating the shooting.

According to court records filed Friday, after civil process servers knocked and announced their presence in an attempt to carry out an eviction after a year-long eviction process, officials got no answer. They began removing the locks on the door with a drill. While doing so, they were reportedly met with gunfire. Mack was shot and fell to the floor inside the front entrance.

Officers responded and attempted to retrieve the victim. That’s when, court documents say, Officer Allen was shot and killed and other officers were also wounded. Officers then reportedly returned fire.

Baker said Friday that Acree is in the hospital due to injuries he sustained in the shooting, but is in custody on a $2 million bond.