Officer Blaize Madrid-Evans
Officer: Independence Police Department, Officer Blaize Madrid-Evans
Date: 9/15/2021 Location: Independence, MO FACTORS (1,2,3,7,15,17,21)
Perpetrator(s) Involved: Cody L. Harrison
Criminal Activity History/Involved: Yes, Harrison was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2011 for shooting at an occupied vehicle, he was paroled in 2020; arrested in Nov. 2020 for felony burglary and stealing and released 8/30/21; 9/2/2021 arrested for illegal possession of a weapon as a felon and released soon after./Yes, Harrison had an active warrant for which police were looking for him.
Mental Illness: None stated.
Substance Abuse History/Involved: Harrison had past drug convictions (marijuana possession)./None stated.
Race/Sex/Age: White/Male/33
What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At approximately 11:30 a.m. on September 15, 2021, Independence police officers responded to a house where based upon a call-in tip they had just received, they were looking for a man with a warrant.
Actions taken by subject toward police: That man was Cody L. Harrison and when he saw the officers arrive at his house, Harrison opened fire at them with a handgun, fatally hitting Officer Madrid-Evans.
Reactions by the police: The other police officer returned fire, successfully shooting Harrison dead.
How murdered? Officer Madrid-Evans was shot immediately upon confronting a wanted subject.
What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? Lack of details on how the shooting took place makes it difficult to judge if anything could have been done differently.
Would the officer have been justified to use deadly force before being murdered? It is unknown if the officers knew Harrison was the wanted man they were looking for, but if they did, knowing Harrison’s history of gun violence they certainly would have been justified to confront him at gunpoint and shoot him if he made a furtive movement they perceived as threatening.
Outcome for the cop-killer: Harrison was justifiably shot and killed during the shootout with the other officer accompanying PO Madrid-Evans
Miscellaneous: Officer Madrid-Evans was only 22, had recently graduated the police academy and was still in field training.
