Captured: Fugitive accused of shooting Lee’s Summit police officer arrested
LEE’S SUMMIT, MO. (KCTV) - A Blue Alert for a man believed to have shot a Missouri police officer Sunday night has now been canceled, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation reports.
According to a press release, the alert was cancelled on Tuesday, June 3, when 27-year-old Thomas Eugene Tolbert was found and arrested in Ellis County, Kansas.
Law enforcement officials were notified early Tuesday that Tolbert might be in an Ellis hotel. The Hays Police Department, Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, and KBI responded to the hotel and were able to take him into custody safely around 4:50 a.m.
Ellis, Kansas, is about 300 miles west of Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
BLUE ALERT 2025-5 CANCELLED: SUSPECT IS IN CUSTODY pic.twitter.com/7vH4kYh6hK
— Missouri State Highway Patrol Alerts (@MSHPAlerts) June 3, 2025
KCTV5 spoke with Sgt. Chris Depue of the Lee’s Summit Police Department after Tolbert was caught.
“I’m thankful and blessed that we can bring this case further to its criminal end and that we’ve removed a fugitive that was dangerous to the public, and the public can breathe easier because of that,” Depue said.
Depue said the officer is recovering in the hospital and making great improvements.
“I’m so happy to report that since his surgery yesterday, he spent most of yesterday resting, surrounded by his family, both blood and blue, and today conditions have improved drastically,” Depue said. “My staff that’s with him down there is describing him as determined. He told his care team he was going to at least take a couple of steps, and those few steps turned into several steps up and down the hallway of the hospital because he is that determined to get better and make a recovery.”
Depue said the road ahead is long, but that they will stand by him every step of the way.
“This officer faces an uphill battle to get healed both mentally and physically, and we are going to make sure we him every single step of the way and bring him home the hero that he is,” Depue said.
They are grateful for the love and prayers the community has shown during this time.
“We are very thankful for the community’s ,” Depue said. “This office has been overwhelmed with phone calls, emails, text messages, and Facebook comments wishing him well, saying they him. We realize that is unique, and we don’t take that lightly.”
Now, the focus of the investigation turns to bringing Tolbert back.
“We anticipate some type of transfer into the metro area and then transfer to the custody of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office because it is a state warrant for the charges that were filed,” Depue said.
Timeline of events
Shortly before 3 p.m. on June 2, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced that charges had been filed against Tolbert. He faces:
- First-degree armed assault
- Armed criminal action
- Unlawful possession of a firearm
- Resisting arrest/detention/stop by fleeing
- Second-degree domestic assault
The Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers organization also offered a $10,000 reward for any information leading to Tolbert’s arrest.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued a Blue Alert, which is now canceled, around 9 a.m. on June 2 to notify the region of the search for Tolbert. Hours later, the alert was extended to Kansas by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
A Blue Alert is a public notification system designed to quickly distribute information about violent offenders who have killed, seriously injured, or pose an imminent threat to law enforcement.
During the Blue Alert, residents of Cass, Clay, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Platte, and Ray Counties were urged to keep watch for Tolbert. He was believed to be armed with a 10 millimeter handgun and was last seen wearing a black top with a hood and black shorts.
His vehicle was found in Grandview, Missouri.
MSHP noted that Tolbert has a history of aggravated assault and shooting at law enforcement.
What started this?
The incident that spurred the search happened around 11:00 p.m. on June 1.
The Lee’s Summit Police Department was dispatched to the Residences at Echelon apartment complex at 3500 block of SE Hollywood Drive on reports of a domestic disturbance.
LSPD reported that as the first officers arrived, they saw a man running from the complex parking lot. The officer chased him on foot and quickly radioed that shots had been fired.
Latest updates on the officer
No shots were fired by the officer, but the officer was struck four times. The officer was transported to an area trauma center with serious injuries.
The Lee’s Summit Police Department stated that one of the four rounds fired by the shooter hit the officer’s vest just above his heart. The officer underwent surgery Monday morning, June 2, and is recovering.
Sgt. Chris Depue told KCTV5 that there has not been an officer from their department shot in the line of duty in more than 30 years. He became emotional talking about it.
“This time it feels really personal, as big as a department we are, it’s still a family,” Depue said as he choked up. “We sent a lot of guys home this morning that were heavy, a lot of guys didn’t want to go home, they said we are going to work until this is done.”
Depue said the smart thing for Tolbert to do is to turn himself in.
“He cannot hide. There will be no safe place for him,” Depue said. “We have unleashed people who are really good at hunting fugitives, and they will find him.”
Depue said the officer is making improvements after his surgery Monday morning.
Local nonprofit ‘Answering the Call,’ founded by a former Lee’s Summit police officer, is providing financial assistance to the family of the injured officer through its foundation.
To get the latest news sent to your phone, the KCTV5 News app here.
Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.
