KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Overland Park, Kan., police have taken into custody a man they think shot two construction workers outside a Blue Valley elementary school in southern Overland Park on Tuesday morning.
One victim died, police reported at 2:46 p.m. The other remains in critical condition.
The shooting was reported just after 9 a.m. Tuesday outside Sunrise Point Elementary School.
A GMC Denali that the suspect stole at gunpoint after fleeing the school was found later empty at the home of the carjacking victim, police said.
A police SWAT team surrounded that house for about two hours and attempted to make contact, not knowing at first if the suspect was in the home.
By noon, an armored vehicle began to move toward the house, said Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez. The suspect came out at that time and surrendered peacefully.
But later Tuesday afternoon, as the suspect was being taken to the county jail, he tried to escape from a police vehicle.
Officers reported that the suspect was being held at "Taser point" while backup officers were called in. A few minutes later, the officers reported that the suspect was secured and they were continuing to the jail.
Donchez said the person who surrendered had been "positively identified" as the suspect police had been seeking.
Police discovered that the suspect was in or near the carjacking victim's house Tuesday morning when they drove the man to his home after the carjacking. When they arrived, the victim saw that his Denali was parked outside his house. He also noticed that one of his dogs was outside, although he had locked both of his dogs up securely.
That's when police called in a tactical team.
Police weren't sure what to make of the carjacker apparently driving the stolen Denali to the victim's home.
"It's weird," said Overland Park police spokesman John Lacy. "He must have looked in the glove box or something."
Police said the shooting victims were employees of a contractor doing work on the playground outside the school. The company was installing synthetic turf at the playground.
There were no children at the school at the time of the shooting.
Police said the suspect was a co-worker of the men who were shot.
The shooting happened after an argument, police said.
The shooting suspect fled and a few minutes later a carjacking was reported at a car wash.
A few minutes later, the same suspect reportedly stole another vehicle at gunpoint a few blocks away. That victim was not hurt but was shaken.
A company called Turf Etc. was installing turf at the school, according to Kaci Brutto, district spokeswoman. The company has been used by the district about five years.
A woman who answered the phone at Turf Etc.'s office in Lee's Summit after the shooting said the company had no comment.
