'A superstar of our department': North Kansas City Latino officer dies in shooting

Officer Daniel Vasquez of North Kansas City was shot and killed after stopping a gray Ford Taurus with an expired temporary license plate near Clay Street shortly after 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Officer Daniel Vasquez's death was confirmed by North Kansas City Police Chief Kevin Freeman at about 2:30 p.m.

"A star of our department. These are always tragedies, but to see a young person so early in his career lose his life to senseless violence is just unbelievable," the North Kansas City police chief said.

He added that Officer Vasquez's death is the first line-of-duty death in the department's history.

Vasquez was 32 years old and joined the North Kansas City Police Department in 2021.

The alleged attacker fled in the Taurus but was arrested three hours after the shooting.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office said the suspect surrendered to police at Northland in Kansas City, Missouri. His identity has not yet been released.

In late June a shooting in Washington, DC, left one teenager dead and three other adults wounded, including a police officer. The officer was shot in the lower extremity.

Last month two Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers were killed in a shootout with a suspect, authorities reported. 

Officers responded to a possible stabbing at a Siesta Inn near the intersection of Garvey and Central avenues in El Monte.

The shooting left both officers in critical condition. They were transported to LAC-USC Medical Center, where they died, El Monte police said.