Kansas City, Kansas police officer killed during police chase

A Kansas City Kansas police officer is dead after he was hit by a driver during a police chase early this morning.

The KCK Police Department says Hunter Simoncic died after being hit while trying to stop a car.

The 26-year old Simoncic, originally from Galesburg, Kansas was a graduate of Pittsburg State University.

According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, officers with the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department (KCKPD) were dispatched near the 7700 block of Everett Avenue around 12:30 a.m., regarding shots being fired.

Around 12:40 a.m., officers found an unconscious man in the driver’s seat of a truck. When officers approached the driver, he woke up and fled the scene.

31-year-old Dennis Mitchell of Kansas City was taken into custody.

He’s in the Wyandotte County jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, vehicular homicide and other alleged crimes.

The investigation is ongoing.