Prosecutor finds deadly shooting involving Leavenworth police was justified
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PLATTE CITY, Mo. — A deadly shooting involving a chase suspect and Leavenworth police in Platte County last year has been found to be justified.
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd released his report on Wednesday determining that Leavenworth police officers were justified when they shot Johnathan Heath-Taylor who had ran from a rape scene.
Heath-Taylor died after being shot on Highway 92 before Stillings Road in Platte County in the early morning hours of August 10, 2023.
“This man had just committed a forcible felony, and he repeatedly refused officers’ commands. He then quickly reached into a backpack and pulled out what officers believed was a gun and pointed it at them. For the safety of themselves and other motorists, officers fired, and Mr. Heath-Taylor later died from those gunshots. It’s a tragic outcome that the officers did everything they could to avoid,” Zahnd said said.
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After leading officers on a chase through Leavenworth. Officers successfully stopped his car once, but Heath-Taylor drove away as officers approached with their weapons drawn, according to the report.
Heath-Taylor later pulled over on Highway 92 before Stillings Road.
Zahnd’s report said officers gave Heath-Taylor multiple commands, which he refused. Instead, Heath-Taylor told officers, “You might as well just do it. Just go ahead and shoot me. Just get it over with. You are going to have to shoot me, I am not going back to jail.” Heath-Taylor had also sent a text message to his father prior to the incident, saying, “Love you papa. . . I’m a lost cause.”
As traffic approached the scene, officers shot two bean bag rounds at Heath-Taylor, according to the report. He then quickly pulled his hand from inside a backpack, He pulled his hand out, holding a black object in his hand and pointed it in the direction of the officers. Multiple officers stated they believed this motion indicated the suspect had a gun and was pointing it at them, though no gun was found near Heath-Taylor.
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Multiple officers fired their weapons at Heath-Taylor, and he later died at North Kansas City Hospital.
Zahnd’s report ends by stating that the matter is considered closed and the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will not consider action of any kind against the law enforcement officers involved.
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The shooting was investigated by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department. In addition to Zahnd, First Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mark Gibson and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Sydney Alizadeh participated in the review and decision-making process related to the officers’ use of force.
