Jackson County Family Court, Missouri
End of Watch: Tuesday, January 10, 1989
Age: 31
Tour of Duty: 8 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 10, 1989
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Unknown
Juvenile Officer Charles West was shot and killed by a juvenile inmate he was supervising.
The juvenile had been arrested for shooting four other juveniles, auto theft, and possession of stolen property. During the initial shooting incident, the boy was attacked by the crowd and suffered an injury to his jaw that required follow-up medical treatment. Officer West transported the boy to Children's Mercy Hospital for treatment. As he was returning the boy to the detention center, they stopped at the boy's home.
When the boy went inside, he retrieved a handgun that he used to shoot Officer West in the back of the head with. He then placed Officer West's body in the trunk of his car and drove away. The boy's family witnessed the incident and called authorities, who located the abandoned car a short time later.
Officer West had served with the Jackson County Family Court for eight years. He was survived by his father, mother, seven brothers, and four sisters.