Teen killed by police in Kansas City suburb had airsoft gun, prosecutor’s office says

Cortlynn Stark, Anna Spoerre
·2 min read

A teenager shot and killed by police in Grandview was holding an airsoft gun when he was killed on Sunday, Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Mike Mansur said.

Lantz Stephenson Jr., 17, died at a hospital after two officers from the Grandview Police Department shot him during a confrontation at Meadowmere Park in the 13600 block of Byars Road, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which is investigating the shooting.

Mansur said when Stephenson was shot, he “had an airsoft gun that reportedly looked like a firearm.”

Mansur said he could not provide additional information but said the investigation is continuing.

Officers responded to the call about 6:45 a.m. May 16 on a report of an apparently suicidal person with a gun, according to the highway patrol. Authorities later said it was Stephenson who placed the call.

Stephenson told dispatchers that he was armed with a gun and wanted to confront police officers, said Sgt Andy Bell, a spokesman with highway patrol.

Three police officers arrived at the Grandview park and saw Stephenson from a distance.

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The Grandview teen then “aggressively approached officers” with a gun, the highway patrol reported. Two of the officers fired shots at him.

Bell on Monday said that “some type of handgun” was found at the scene.

The teenager was taken to an area hospital, where he died, the highway patrol said Sunday night.

No officers were injured.

Both officers have since been placed on paid administrative leave, a standard procedure for officers who discharge weapons resulting in death or injury, Capt. Ryan Sharp, a spokesman for Grandview Police Department, said Monday.

The Grandview Police Department aims to have all officers trained in crisis intervention within two years of their hiring, Sharp said. The training, supported by the National Alliance of Mental Illness, includes on-site visits to mental health facilities and conversations with those suffering from mental illness.

The officers who responded to Stephenson’s call Sunday had each completed at least 40 hours of crisis intervention training, Sharp said, adding that the department practices de-escalation techniques during annual training.

The Grandview Police Department has a body camera program, but police declined to say whether body camera or dash footage was part of the highway patrol’s investigation.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 800-273-8255.

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