Prosecutors in Jackson County, Missouri, have filed serious charges against a man who allegedly shot and killed both an Independence police officer and a civil process server on Thursday, while wounding two other law enforcement officials.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters’ office announced that Larry D. Acree faces two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault and three counts of armed criminal action charges.
Acree is accused of killing Independence Police Department Officer Cody Allen and Jackson County circuit court process server Drexel Mac.
According to court documents, Mac went to a home at about 1 p.m. on Thursday, on N. Elsea Smith Road to follow up on a notice to vacate that was posted on the property six days prior.
Mac was accompanied by two people identified as Witnesses 1 and 2 on Thursday, and after knocking and announcing their presence, the three did not receive a response and drilled out the lock before entering the home.
Mac and "Witness 1" entered, court documents state, and gunshots were fired, striking Mac and causing him to fall to the ground immediately inside the front door of the home.
Witness 1 was able to get out of the home and call for help. Three Independence police officers responded and entered the home to retrieve Mac, when more gunshots were fired from inside.
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Victim 2, identified as Officer Cody Allen, was shot in the head, court documents state, and a second officer was struck in the torso.
Officers returned fire at the suspect, later identified as Acree, and by 1:30 p.m., he was taken into custody.
All victims who were wounded were taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. Allen and Mac were subsequently pronounced dead, while the officer who was shot in the abdomen was taken to surgery and expected to survive the wounds.
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On Thursday, Independence Police Department Chief Adam Dustman described Allen as always having a smile on his face, calling him "one of a kind" and "a human being among human beings."
Allen is survived by his wife, their two small children and his parents.
Judge Jalilah Otto of the 16th Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri said Mac had been with the court for over 12 years.
Otto told reporters Mac was "a true public servant, and he lost his life doing his job."
