2 officers shot and wounded in Independence, Missouri, police say

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — Authorities said two police officers were shot and wounded Thursday in Independence, Missouri.

Independence Police Department spokesperson Officer Jack Taylor said the two officers were taken to a hospital, and their conditions were not immediately known. One person was arrested, he said.

Independence Police Officer Kelley Rupert said a process server — a person who typically helps serve warrants — was also injured.

Taylor said no details are immediately available about what led to the shooting. A news conference is planned for later, he said.

The Police Department said in a Facebook post that there were reports of shots fired near a residence in the area.

Helicopter video from KMBC-TV showed emergency vehicles converged around an isolated house in the middle of a field. The media was cordoned off in an area about 1 mile (1.61 kilometers) from the crime scene. The area was a mixture of woods and farmland with a smattering of houses on large, multi-acre lots. A church was mixed in among the houses.

Independence is a suburb of Kansas City, with about 122,000 residents.

Capt. Ronda Montgomery of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said she could confirm that police officers were shot, but that she couldn’t comment further. She said it’s under the jurisdiction of the Independence police and that it’s their scene.

Schools in the Fort Osage School District were locked down for about 20-30 minutes until authorities gave the all-clear, spokesperson Stephanie Smith said.

“The incident occurred several miles from our nearest school, so it really was out of caution,” she said. “Safety is always our first priority for our students.”

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