2 officers shot and wounded in Independence, Missouri, police say

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — Authorities said two police officers were shot and wounded Thursday in Independence, Missouri.

Independence Police Department spokesperson Officer Jack Taylor said the two officers were taken to a hospital, and their conditions were not immediately known. One person was arrested, he said.

Independence Police Officer Kelley Rupert said a process server — a person who typically helps serve warrants — was also injured.

Taylor said no details are immediately available about what led to the shooting. A news conference is planned for later, he said.

Independence is a suburb of Kansas City, with about 122,000 residents. The media was cordoned off in an area about 1 mile (1.61 kilometers) from the crime scene. The area was a mixture of woods and farmland with a smattering of houses on large multi-acre lots. A church was mixed in among the houses. Ambulances and police vehicles were headed toward the scene.

The Police Department said in a Facebook post that there were reports of shots fired near a residence in the area.

Capt. Ronda Montgomery of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said she could confirm that police officers were shot, but that she couldn’t comment further. She said it’s under the jurisdiction of the Independence police and that it’s their scene.