PO Daniel Vasquez
Officer: North Kansas City Police Department, Police Officer Daniel Vasquez
Date: 7/19/2022 Location: North Kansas City, MO FACTORS (1,2,7,8,15)
Perpetrator(s) Involved: Joshua Rocha
Criminal Activity History/Involved: None stated. / Yes, Rocha was driving a vehicle with an expired registration.
Mental Illness: None stated.
Substance Abuse History/Involved: Unknown. / None stated.
Race/Sex/Age: White/Male/24
What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At approximately 1030 a.m. on July 19, 2022, North Kansas City Police Officer Daniel Vasquez observed a vehicle operated by Joshua Rocha with an expired temporary registration and initiated a traffic stop.
Actions taken by subject toward police: As soon as PO Vasquez appeared at Rocha’s door, Rocha shot him in the face with the .300 blackout rifle he prepositioned on his lap while the officer was walking toward his vehicle. Rocha exited his vehicle and shot PO Vasquez a few more times at point blank range before fleeing the scene, changing his appearance, and altering his vehicle to make it harder for police to track him down.
Reactions by the police: PO Vasquez was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, and officers conducted a manhunt throughout Kansas City for his murderer.
How murdered? PO Vasquez was ambushed and shot point blank while conducting a traffic stop.
What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? Some officers prefer to approach on the passenger side when doing a traffic stop, but as Rocha indicated he prepositioned the rifle on his lap, he could have just as easily shot at PO Vasquez if the officer went to the passenger side window.
Would the officer have been justified to use deadly force before being murdered? NA, PO Rocha was ambushed and never had a chance to use deadly force.
Outcome for the cop-killer: Rocha turned himself in at a police station within a few hours and has been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
Miscellaneous: Rocha confessed he shot PO Vasquez because he did not want to go to jail or have his car towed, only to then turn himself in for a murder which surely will give him a much longer stay in prison than an expired registration would have.
