Police Officer Hunter Simoncic

Hunter Simoncic

Police Officer Hunter Simoncic was intentionally struck and killed by the driver of a fleeing vehicle while he was deploying stop sticks on College Parkway and State Avenue in Kansas City.

When responding to reports of gunfire in the area at 12:30 a.m., officers discovered an unconscious man in the driver's seat of a truck. As they approached, the driver fled, and officers pursued. The subject changed vehicles and continued to evade officers. Officer Simoncic and another officer were laying down stop sticks when the man intentionally drove over a median and swerved into Officer Simoncic, before driving away. Officer Simoncic was transported to the University of Kansas Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The suspect crashed his truck and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. When he was released, he was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder, vehicular homicide, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, theft, criminal possession of a firearm, and aggravated failure to appear. The suspect, a convicted felon, had a warrant for his arrest and had a history of felony resisting arrest and evading law enforcement.

Officer Simoncic had served with the Kansas City Police Department for over one year. He was survived by his parents and brother.