Police officers return fire after van backfires

Kansas City police officers mistook a backfiring van for gunshots and shot at the van and eventually shot out the windows of their patrol car on Thursday night at Interstate 435 and Gregory Boulevard. Officers said at around 6 p.m., police responded to a report of shots being fired. When two officers arrived, they heard what they believed to be shots fired in the area near a white van.

During the incident, it was discovered the sounds were not gunfire but the van backfiring. “I was scared," said the van's driver, Thomas, who asked that his last name not be used. "I couldn’t understand why they were shooting at me."

“They thought they were being fired at and they fired toward the van," said Stacey Graves from the Kansas City Police Department. "It was later discovered, the van backfired.” Nobody was hurt in the incident and police discovered the driver of the van was not armed.

“At first I didn’t think they were shooting at me," Thomas said. "I figured out, 'Hey, they are shooting at me.' So I got down and yelled at the top of my lungs, 'Hey, I‘m not the one shooting.' I guess they couldn‘t hear me.” Police said the incident was under investigation. The officers are on routine paid leave.