Wednesday night, just after 10:15 p.m., a KCPC Police Canine Officer and his canine partner were on duty and on patrol in the area of Truman Road and Benton Boulevard when their patrol car was struck by another vehicle.

The collision caused a secondary impact with a pedestrian.

The pedestrian was declared deceased at the scene. KCPD identified the pedestrian as 52-year-old Jesse Eckes.

The Police Canine was killed at the scene as well. The officer was transported to the hospital with critical injuries. Doctors made every attempt at treatment but tragically he was declared deceased at the hospital.

The driver of the citizen vehicle has minor injuries and is in custody for further investigation.

Jerron Lightfoot, 18, faces two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter as a result of the crash.

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Accident Investigation Section is completing the accident reconstruction and the investigation will be led by the Traffic Investigation Section.

Officer James Muhlbauer was a 20-year veteran of the KCPD and had been assigned to the Canine Unit for nearly three years. His canine partner Champ was an approximately one-year veteran of the KCPD.

“Please keep the officer’s family, the pedestrian’s family and the whole Kansas City Missouri Police Department in your thoughts and prayers as they deal with this terrible tragedy,” KCPD said in a facebook post.

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KCPD
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