Two Deputies, Both Parents Of Young Children, Killed By Inmate While Transporting Him

Two Kansas deputies, both of whom were parents of young children, were shot and killed by an inmate while transporting him to jail from a courthouse Friday.

Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Deputies Theresa King and Patrick Rohrer were shot in a gated area behind a Kansas City county courthouse, according to the Kansas City Police Department. The inmate, whose identity has not been released, may have used one of the deputies’ guns to them during a struggle, police said.

"It is very possible that with their own firearm, they were both shot," Wyandotte County Sheriff's Maj. Kelli Bailiff said during a news conference Friday.

The inmate was also shot during the incident, but he survived and underwent surgery the same day. He was listed in stable condition by Saturday, The Associated Press reported. He has not been charged. The shooting is being investigated and the suspect is expected to be identified if he is charged.

Rohrer, a 35-year-old father of two young children, died on Friday. King, 44, died Saturday at a hospital. She was the mother of three children.  Maj. Kelli Bailiff, a police spokeswoman, told CNN that the two deputies were "bright and intelligent wonderful personalities. They were an asset to our agency. They came to work every day with a smile, willing to help out, willing to do anything."

King had recently been hired as a school resource officer, a job she was slated to start in August.

"She just had a new glow about her because she found out she had just been promoted to be a school resource officer and would be in her girl's school," her friend Meg Rauh told The Kansas City Star.

Rohrer was on the force for seven years and King was on the force for 13.

Rauh said that King spent years working overtime so she could support her kids. "All she thought about was her family," she said.

[Photo: Kansas City Police Department]