A grand jury on Friday indicted a Kansas City Police officer on a felony assault charge for the shooting of a 37-year-old man last year.
Jacob Ramsey, 31, a five-year veteran of the force, was charged with first-degree assault and “armed criminal action” on the indictment signed by Jean Peters Baker, Jackson County prosecutor.
Ramsey appeared in court Friday and pleaded not guilty, according to a release from Baker’s office. He waived his right to a jury trial and requested a bench trial before the judge, which was set for April 2, the release said.
The victim, said to be Anthony Contreras, was allegedly shot by Ramsey in June as he ran from a home where the police officer was executing a search warrant. Contreras’ family told KSHB that he was unarmed and was shot in the face. He survived the shooting.
Kansas City Missouri Police Chief Darryl Forte tweeted, “Stressful period for all involved.”
“Today ranks in the top 3 of my most stressful days of being chief. I saw the pain on the officers (sic) face at the arraignment!” Forte said in a second Tweet.
Indictments of police officers for work in the line of duty are rare. Most incidents don’t result in criminal charges.
