Man accused of shooting Lee’s Summit police officer in custody
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (News-Press NOW) --
UPDATE 6/3/25 -- The Kansas Bureau of Investigation stated that, in conjunction with the Ellis County Sheriff's Office and the Hays Police Department, a Blue Alert has been canceled and Thomas E. Tolbert has been apprehended and booked in Ellis, Kansas, at 4:50 a.m.
In the early morning hours on Tuesday, June 3, law enforcement received information indicating Tolbert might be inside a hotel at 204 N. Washington St. in Ellis.
Tolbert was booked in the Ellis County Sheriff's Office Jail.
The Jackson County Prosecutor announced several felony charges on Monday against a Kansas City man for allegedly shooting a Lee's Summit police officer.
A Blue Alert was in effect throughout several counties in Missouri and Kansas on Monday, June 2, because of a domestic incident that escalated into a man shooting a Lee's Summit Police Officer.
Thomas E. Tolbert, 27, was arrested on a Missouri warrant for 1st degree assault, armed criminal action, unlawful possession of a firearm, resisting arrest/detention/stop by fleeing, and 2nd degree domestic assault.
According to court records, a Lee's Summit police officer was responding to a domestic disturbance around 11 p.m. Sunday at an apartment complex near SW Hollywood Drive and Highway 150.
The officer had approached Tolbert and attempted to detain him. Tolbert broke away and began to flee on foot.
As the officer ran after him, Tolbert began to fire multiple gunshots at the officer, striking him four times.
The officer was hit in the left leg, left arm, chest of his body armor and his shoulder.
The court records also said a criminal history was completed for Tolbert, where, on April 30, 2021, he was found guilty of unlawful use of a weapon, class B felony and sentenced to four years of confinement.
In a press release, the Jackson County Prosecutor noted, the charges are only accusations and Tolbert is presumed innocent unless and until he is found guilty or pleads guilty.
