A routine civil process call in northeastern Independence, Missouri, ended in a deadly ambush on Thursday, February 29, 2024. Officer Cody Ray Allen, 35, responded after a Jackson County Circuit Court employee, civil process server Drexel Mack, was reportedly shot while attempting to serve an eviction notice. When officers arrived to render aid and secure the scene, gunfire erupted; Officer Allen was fatally wounded and Drexel Mack also died. Two other officers suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds.

A male suspect was taken into custody and charged with two counts of first-degree murder; he reportedly sustained minor injuries and was treated at a hospital. Allen had served with the Independence Police Department after prior service with the Grandview Police Department and the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department, and is survived by his wife and two young children.

If anyone witnessed the incident or has information about the moments leading up to the shooting, please share what was seen or heard.