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Jury sentences killer of North Kansas City Police officer to death

Joshua Rocha, 28, is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the killing of a North Kansas City Police officer.
Pool photo
Joshua Rocha, 28, was convicted last week of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the killing of a North Kansas City Police officer.

Joshua Rocha, 28, was convicted of first-degree murder by the same jury last week in the fatal shooting of Officer Daniel Vasquez. It is the first time Clay County prosecutors have asked for the death penalty since 1988.

A week after Joshua Rocha was convicted of first-degree murder, jurors on Tuesday sentenced him to death.

Rocha, 28, had no audible reaction as the verdict was read in a packed Clay County courtroom. He admitted that he killed North Kansas City Police Officer Daniel Vasquez, 32, during a routine traffic stop in July 2022. Rocha, whose car held several weapons, was driving to a gun store.

Vasquez’s family cried and comforted each other as the sentence was read. Formal sentencing is at November 24 at 1 p.m.

Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson is expected to hold a news conference shortly.

Because of heavy pretrial publicity, a jury was selected from a pool of St. Charles County, Missouri, residents. It took the panel just two hours to convict Rocha on first-degree murder last Thursday.

During the trial, jurors were shown dashcam video that revealed Rocha shooting Vasquez in the face even before the officer arrived at Rocha’s driver’s side door. Prosecutors, who called the shooting an “ambush,” said the only time Rocha stopped shooting was to clear his jammed AR-15, an automatic rifle.

North Kansas City Police Officer Daniel Vasquez, 32, was shot and killed trying to pull over a driver Tuesday morning.
Courtesy Photo
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North Kansas City Police
North Kansas City Police Officer Daniel Vasquez, 32, was shot and killed in 2022.

Video showed Rocha then getting out of his car to shoot Vasquez two more times.

“He let this man walk to his doom,” assistant prosecuting attorney Robert Sanders said during closing arguments. “Officer Vasquez never had a chance.”

Rocha, who surrendered a few hours after the shooting, told police that he was homeless and feared losing his car. Later, family and others testified that Rocha saw his father, a gang member, be arrested, as well as the death of some siblings.

Vasquez joined the North Kansas City Police Department in January 2021 as a recruit officer and was promoted to full officer after graduating from the KCPD Regional Police Academy in July 2021, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

Kowthar Shire is the 2025-2026 newsroom intern for KCUR. Email her at kshire@kcur.org
As KCUR’s public safety and justice reporter, I put the people affected by the criminal justice system front and center, so you can learn about different perspectives through empathetic, contextual and informative reporting. My investigative work shines a light on often secretive processes, countering official narratives and exposing injustices. Email me at lowep@kcur.org.
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