KANSAS CITY, Kansas -- Law enforcement is in mourning again in Kansas City, Kan., after two Wyandotte County sheriff’s deputies were shot to death as they transported an inmate Friday morning.
Patrick Rohrer, 35, died from his injuries after he was taken to the University of Kansas Hospital soon after police were called to the shooting at the Wyandotte County Correctional and Court Services building in downtown Kansas City, Kan. He had seven years of service in law enforcement.
Theresa King, 44, had been listed in critical condition at the same hospital for much of Friday after she was shot. But shortly after midnight, she also died from her injuries, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department announced overnight. King had 13 years of service.
Officials said they believe that an inmate who was being transported from the jail across the street may have shot the deputies with one of their own weapons.
“When they pulled into the parking lot ready to transport these inmates, they (the deputies) were overcome,” said Wyandotte County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kelli Bailiff said at a news conference. “It is very possible that with their own firearm they were shot.”
The inmate also was shot and transported to the hospital. Neither his name nor his condition was disclosed.
Sources told The Star that the suspect was Antoine Fielder, a 30-year-old with a long history of alleged criminal behavior. No charges have been filed in Friday’s shooting.
Kansas City, Kan., police officer T.J. Tomasic said he could not confirm or deny that Fielder was the suspect.
Fielder was scheduled for a hearing at the Wyandotte County Correctional and Court Services building Friday morning, according to the Wyandotte County online jail records. He was being held on several criminal charges and has also been charged with murder in Jackson County in a separate case.
Fielder was twice brought to trial on charges related to the 2015 killing of an Overland Park woman, but went free after two juries could not reach a unanimous verdict.
Friday marked the fourth time in the last three years a law enforcement official in Wyandotte County was shot. In 2016 two Kansas City, Kan., policemen were killed in the line of duty.
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Funeral arrangements have been announced for two Wyandotte County sheriff's deputies who were killed in shooting Friday while transporting a prisoner from a court hearing.
A visitation for Deputy Theresa King will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Jack Reardon Civic Center, 500 Minnesota Avenue, in Kansas City, Kan.
The next day, on Thursday, a joint funeral will be held for King, 44, and Deputy Patrick Rohrer, 35. The funeral will be held at 9 a.m. at Children's Mercy Park, 1 Sporting Way, in Kansas City, Kan.
The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department announced the funeral arrangements Sunday. No visitation is planned for Rohrer, according to the Police Department.
King and Rohrer were fatally shot about 11:15 a.m. Friday while transporting a prisoner from the Wyandotte County courthouse back to the jail across the street.
The shooting occurred in a secured parking area outside the Wyandotte County Correctional and Court Services building. Kansas City, Kan., police continue to investigate the shooting, but have said that an inmate may have gotten one of the deputies' guns and began shooting.
Rohrer died Friday and King died from her injuries shortly after midnight on Saturday.
Rohrer and King became the third and fourth law enforcement officers in Wyandotte County to be killed in the line of duty since 2016.
———
©2018 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.)
Visit The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) at www.kansascity.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
———
©2018 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.)
Visit The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) at www.kansascity.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
