On a Sunday afternoon, May 3, 2020, the life of 37-year-old Michael Shaun 'Mike' Mosher, a dedicated police officer, was cut tragically short in a violent confrontation. Mosher, a male, was off-duty but in his uniform and on his way to work when he witnessed a hit-and-run accident at West 143rd Street and Antioch Road in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City.
He immediately radioed dispatch to report the incident and began to follow the suspect's vehicle.
The pursuit ended near the intersection of West 123rd Street and Mackey Street. There, the driver of the fleeing vehicle, later identified as 38-year-old Phillip Michael Carney, stopped his car and got out, confronting Officer Mosher. Mosher requested backup as the situation escalated, with Carney refusing to comply with his commands. A scuffle ensued, during which Carney produced a handgun. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, both Officer Mosher and Carney were struck.
Responding officers arrived to a grim scene. Officer Mosher was critically injured and rushed to a nearby hospital, but tragically succumbed to his wounds. Carney was pronounced dead at the location of the shootout. The investigation that followed revealed that Carney had a criminal history, and just two days prior to the fatal encounter, his family had filed domestic violence charges against him.
In the aftermath of the tragic event, the Johnson County District Attorney's office conducted a thorough investigation into the officer-involved shooting. Based on the evidence, which included a video of the confrontation, the district attorney concluded that Officer Mike Mosher's use of deadly force was justified. The community mourned the loss of the 14-and-a-half-year veteran of the Overland Park Police Department, who was remembered as a hero who died doing what he loved.
