The fatal shooting Monday of Kansas City, KS, police detective Brad Lancaster was an awful tragedy. But from The Kansas City Star’s thorough accounts, it is clear a few more people could have ended up dead.
We are very lucky that more funerals are not being planned and more tribute stories being written.
Consider the terror that five other people, including two children, endured:
Lancaster
:: After shooting Lancaster near Kansas Speedway about 12:15 p.m., 28-year-old Curtis Ayers of Tonganoxie drove west on State Avenue in Lancaster’s vehicle. He must have been going mighty fast, but a KCK police officer was able to ram the detective’s car with his own patrol car. Unfortunately, Ayers was able to elude apprehension there and continued on to 118th and State, where he crashed the detective’s vehicle. He then carjacked a woman who was driving with two small children, forced the woman from the car and took off with the two children…Can you imagine how scared she was she might never see her children alive again? And the children — separated from their mother by a madman?
:: Ayers drove to the Falcon Lakes subdivision in Basehor, where he saw a house with an open garage and a car inside. (Police constantly warn against leaving garage doors open, and this is why.) Ayers walked into the house and put a gun in the face of the resident, who was sitting on a couch…How about that for unsettling your Monday afternoon? The homeowner turned over his car keys to Ayers, who took off in the resident’s car. The most fortunate part of this phase of the story is Ayers left the two kids behind and they were later reunited with their much-relieved mother.
:: Our unhinged criminal then headed east, where Kansas City police spotted him on Bruce R. Watkins Drive about 2:30 p.m…At that time, Lancaster was in a hospital emergency room, dying…At the Bannister Road exit, Ayers crashed the stolen car into a bridge pillar. He then approached a woman who was stopped in traffic, stood in front of her car and ordered her out. Before she could react, Ayers, armed with a shotgun, fired twice into the car, striking the woman with pellets in the shoulder, arm, neck and head. She, too, was lucky, driving away with non-life-threatening wounds. Another motorist was also counting his blessings. He told police Ayers fired into his vehicle, missing him…Imagine how long those minutes were for those two motorists?
:: Finally, police were able to move in close enough to get a shot at Ayers. An officer struck him with a rifle shot, and he was taken into custody about 2:35 p.m.
:: There was no reprieve — no luck — for Brad Lancaster, who died about 3:30 p.m. and left behind a wife and two daughters, one 9, the other 10. Can you imagine the anguish they are going through — and will for years?
Contributions to a memorial fund for Lancaster’s family can be mailed to:
Kansas City, KS, Police Department
Attn. Chief’s Office
700 Minnesota Ave.
Kansas City, KS 66101
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
I can only wish that this had been used by The Star instead of the idiotic column put out by the editorial board (Yael) that contained such gems as
“In recent years legitimate concerns have been raised about police shootings of civilians — too many of them unarmed and too many of them African-American.”
and
“America’s gun manufacturers have shown they will do anything to pump up their sales to make a profit.
The National Rifle Association and other gun lovers have twisted the Second Amendment into an excuse for arming far too many people.
And lawmakers in Kansas and Missouri are recklessly making it even easier to carry loaded weapons, with no training, almost anyplace and anytime.”
This from a “tribute” to an officer whose Facebook posts indicated support for the 2nd Amendment and the legislation in Kansas in support of Constitutional Carry
This drug besotted monstrosity was on the streets because his parole officer molly coddled him after repeated violations of the conditions of his parole. As a convicted felon he is not allowed to even own a firearm, much less carry one around, but in the distorted and hateful “logic” of The Star’s editorial Board (Yael) the NRA and the Kansas legislature is to blame for this officer’s death.
Well here’s a fact, like 93% of the mass murderers this bozo went to a gun-free zone (the Hollywood Casino) to act out. Had he been someplace where some of those folks with no training were allowed to carry he might be the one dead today instead of that detective. That said, it’s irrelevant to the fact that once again this disgusting embarrassment to our community chose to use this tragedy to insult the police, the NRA and our Constitutional freedoms.
Predictably, after Yael finished that insult to logical thought he published yet another of his hate-O-grams in a bigoted diatribe launched at Christians.
And you wonder why we detest this despicable rag?
Thanks for the compliment, before the rant, John…But like I always say (and as I sometimes do myself)…Rant Away!
Thanks, Fitz. I bit my tongue during some of the recent happenings at The Star regarding layoffs, etc., but this was simply so over the top in poor taste and reinforces the point that the excellent coverage which you point out will be buried in the minds of many by the mound of crap that The Star’s useless editorial board publishes that I felt compelled to comment.
Is it a mystery what Yael, or Lewis are going to say tomorrow, or the next day about any issue? Why The Star is looking to replace the two that left is beyond me. The money could actually be used to reinforce doing what local bloggers can’t do and that’s original reporting. Also predictable is that about the same time as that column appeared McClatchy was announcing that it was laying off around 110 IT people and outsourcing their work overseas. Perhaps we should start referring to the Bangalore Star.
I’d never heard of Bangalor, John, but it sounds appropriate….And, yes, a reader passed on the link about the IT layoffs. Geeeez…
Bengaluru (aka Bangalore) is the capital of India’s southern Karnataka state. The center of India’s high-tech industry, the city is also known for its green spaces and nightlife. Near Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha is its massive Neo-Dravidian legislative building. Former royal residences include 19th-century Bangalore Palace, modeled after England’s Windsor Castle, and Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace, an 18th-century teak structure.
A sizable portion of our charity dollar goes to India to support micro-economic projects. Perhaps i should earmark a few for ex-McClatchy employees.
A post on facebook by Brad Lancaster in 2012.
“Brad Lancaster
December 19, 2012 ·
The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.
-Albert Einstein
There are sheep, sheepdogs and wolves.
Simply changing a few gun laws is like burying your head in the sand.
The wolves do not listen to your current restrictions on magazine capacity, barrel length, flash suppressors or a novelty bayonet attachment.
Wishing the problem away and passing more restrictive laws about the guns will only criminalize and restrict those who wish to protect themselves. Those same people are most likely willing to put themselves in harm’s way to protect you, even though you are unwilling to do so yourself.
Address the problems. Address the criminals and morally unguided evil monsters who wish to hurt, deprive and terrorize us all.
Admit to yourself we do live in an armed society. Admit that you will never eradicate the guns from our society. Admit that only law abiding citizens follow the laws.
If you wish to not own a gun, that’s fine. But leave mine alone. I hope you never find yourself in a position wishing you had a gun or to live with the regret of choosing to be the sheep.
I know the choices I have made. I am not the sheep. I will never have that regret. Beside my brothers and sisters, I hunt the wolf.
Leave the guns alone. Stand up to the wolf.”
I wonder how his wife and daughters feel about the gun issue…
Given his occupation and the strength of his views I suspect that, like the widow of Chris Kyle, she would support the comments he made. If you died pursuing a story when you were writing for The Star would your widow have denounced journalism?
Absolutely I agree, John.
I’m glad I survived the “journalism wars.”
Some of your finest work has been right here doing this blog.
This is a lot more fun, too — being able to give the facts and offer an opinion.
P.S. You and Gayle are a powerful duo.
Wow. Don’t know how Mr Altevogt feels about being lumped in with me, but I’m flattered.
I`m good.