MISSION, Kan. (FOX NEWS / KCTV) — A Kansas police officer who was shot over the weekend while responding to a suspected car theft has died from his injuries. The Fairway Police Department announced Monday that 29-year-old officer Jonah Oswald died after he was critically wounded in a shooting Sunday morning. Fox News reports that Oswald leaves behind a wife and two young children. He was a four-year veteran of the police department.
“I am heartbroken at the tragic loss of Officer Jonah Oswald, who made the ultimate sacrifice while carrying out his oath to serve and protect,” Fairway Chief of Police J.P. Thurlo said in a statement. “Officer Oswald was an integral part of our team and made significant contributions to our department and to the Fairway community. We will remember him as a warm-hearted individual whose hard work and passion touched the lives of many.”
KCTV reports that Lenexa police responded to reports of a stolen car at a QuikTrip convenient store located at 95th Street and Interstate 35 in Lenexa around 7:30 am Sunday. When officers arrived, the suspect driving the stolen vehicle allegedly struck a police car and drove off heading north on I-35. The driver arrived at another QuikTrip location on Lamar Avenue and the two people in the vehicle ran inside. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the incident, including the Fairway Police Department, Kansas Highway Patrol and the Mission Police Department.
A shooting took place between the suspects and law enforcement, which is when Oswald was struck by gunfire. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition and was pronounced dead on Monday.
One of the suspects, 40-year-old Shannon Wayne Marshall, was shot and killed. The other suspect, 32-year-old Andrea Rene Cothran, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. The case remains under investigation.
