Shooting Spree in St. Joseph Kills Officer

By Sara Romaine, Staff Writer


ST. JOSEPH, MO- The community of St. Joseph is devastated by a mass shooting near 22^nd and Fredrick streets that took the life of a police officer and injured four others.

The City of St. Joseph

Police dispatch called all officers to Second Street and Union in response to witnesses’ reports of an unidentified gunman yesterday night. The unidentified shooter was armed with a high-powered, semi-automatic assault rifle, and as Lt. Jim Connors said, “I think he was firing randomly, I have no idea what was in front of his gun.”

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The gunman stood at six feet tall, with a Mohawk buzzed into his head, a backpack on his back, and a bandolier strapped across his chest, he carried no identification, witnesses report. The unidentified gunman was heavily armed, police said.

 Police Officer Bradley Thomas Arn was first to respond as the scene unraveled. Reporting to the scene,  the gunman opened fire on Arn’s cruiser.  Several bullets struck Arn’s vehicle, one hitting the officer in the back of the head, killing him.

After killing Arn the gunman made his way south down Calhoun Street to Calvary Baptist Church.  The gunman was finally cornered by the police force behind the Calvary Baptist Church where he was shot and apprehended.

George McFay was among the first eye witnesses to the scene. McFay was driving behind Officer Arn. He saw Arn get shot by the gunman and lose control of his vehicle. His van window was shattered by a bullet, but did not see the gunman.

Roger Liberty, an area resident, was also witness to the scene.  He was on phone in his home when he heard gunshots, he said. Confused, he ran outside and saw the gunman shoot Officer Arm’s car. Liberty then saw the gunman reach the back lot of the Calvary Baptist Church where a bullet brought the gunman to the ground. 

The gunman was shot in the head by a police officer whose name has not been released, police state.  With no identification or obvious motive, the investigation continues. Police are trying to identify the man through fingerprints.

The officers on scene “did a good job. They did what they were trained to do,” Lt. Connors remarked.

Officer Arn was a policeman in St. Joesph for over six years . He was survived by his wife Andrea and 2-year-old twins, Malloree and Molleigh, and his mother Connie Landers. He will be honored by a memorial service Friday at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 4503 Frederick Blvd. He will be buried in Savannah Cemetery, in his hometown of Savannah.

St. Joseph police greatly mourn the death of their colleague, Arn. “Officers are shocked to say the very least,” Connors commented, “It happens to other police departments, not us.”

Officer Bradley Thomas Arn was the first police officer fatally shot in the line of duty since  Patrolman Alva N. Mead in 1944. The last officer wounded in duty was in Patrolman John W. Duty in September 1991.

 Officer Arn’s passing invoked a strong response in   the community and the St. Joseph’s police force. A  committee of Peace Officers memorial will form to construct a memorial site for officers that died serving the St. Joseph community.