Lee’s Summit police ‘relieved’ to hear of suspected shooter’s arrest, officer recovering

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. (KCTV) - Law enforcement detailed Tuesday morning that a man charged with shooting a police officer in Missouri was arrested nearly 300 miles away in Kansas.

Thomas Tolbert, 27, was found and arrested in Ellis, Kansas, before 5 a.m.

The Lee’s Summit Police Department was dispatched to the Residences at Echelon apartment complex at 3500 block of SE Hollywood Drive on reports of a domestic disturbance about 11 p.m. Sunday.

FILE: Lee's Summit (Mo.) Police Department(KCTV5)

LSPD reported that as the first officers arrived, they saw a man running from the complex parking lot. The officer chased him on foot and quickly radioed that shots had been fired.

No shots were fired by the officer, but the officer was reportedly struck multiple times. The officer was transported to an area trauma center with serious injuries that are not expected to be life-threatening.

The Lee’s Summit Police Department stated that one of the four rounds fired by the shooter hit the officer’s vest over his heart. The officer had surgery Monday morning and is now recovering.

Lee’s Summit police chief Travis Forbes stated that his department was “relieved to hear about the arrest of Thomas Tolbert, who was taken into custody early this morning in Ellis, Kansas. We are grateful to our law enforcement partners and especially the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for their swift and courageous work.”

Thomas Eugene Tolbert was found and arrested in Ellis, Kansas.(Ellis County Jail)

The police department told KCTV5 that an update on the officer’s condition would be given later Tuesday.

“Our thoughts remain with our officer and their family and the recovery road ahead,” Forbes added. “The safety of our officers and community will always be our top priority.”