This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
An officer with the Johnson County Sheriff's Department shot and killed a person at the Panasonic battery plant in DeSoto, Kansas on Friday. The sheriff’s office was at the plant due to a report at around 10:59 a.m. of a stabbing, and said they located a victim with multiple stab wounds on site.
At a press conference, the sheriff’s office said “the interaction with the suspect ended in an officer involved shooting” but did not detail if the suspect had a weapon or threatened police. The suspect was pronounced deceased at 11:25 a.m. The sheriff’s office said officers performed life-saving efforts.
The stabbing victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition. The sheriff’s office said at the press conference that the incident has been contained and “there is no need for any heightened awareness.”
No information about the officers involved in the shooting has been released. There is no information yet about who either of the victims are, or whether or not they were employees at the plant. The sheriff’s office says no officers were injured in the incident.
The Johnson County Officer Involved Critical Incident Investigations teams is now investigating the incident, with the Olathe Police Department acting as lead agency. The Kansas Bureau of Investigations is also assisting in the investigation.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office posted on social media on Friday that county law enforcement had a “large presence in the area of the Panasonic plant” near 103rd Street and Astra Parkway. The sheriff’s office said there was no active threat to the public and that the situation was contained.
The Panasonic plant opened in July and is the largest electric vehicle battery plant in the U.S.
In a statement Panasonic sent to KCUR before the sheriff’s department updated media, the company said it’s aware of the “law enforcement involved incident” at the De Soto facility.
“There was not an active shooter, and we are working closely with the appropriate authorities,” the statement read. “We have no additional details to share at this time.”
