An Independence man faces two counts of first-degree murder for allegedly gunning down a police officer and a county court employee Thursday.
Prosecutors say 69-year-old Larry Acree shot and killed Drexel Mack, a 41-year-old Jackson County civil process server, and 35-year-old Independence police officer Cody Allen.
“This is a hard day,” said Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker at a press conference Friday. “I think we’d all just like to roll back the clock a few hours to see if any other fate could have been met.”
The effort to evict Acree from the house started more than a year ago.
He got a written notice to vacate last week. Mack and another court processor went to his house to physically evict Acree on Thursday and had just finished dismantling the locks on the front door when Acree allegedly opened fire. Mack fell into the house.
Three Independence officers, including Allen, rushed to the scene to try to retrieve Mack. All three of the responding officers were shot. Allen, a father of two, died from his wounds. The two other officers are expected to recover.
Baker said the shooting could be called an ambush.
A standoff ensued, and Acree was injured and eventually apprehended. He’s in custody on a $2 million bond. In addition to the two counts of murder in the first degree, Acree faces first-degree assault and other charges.
