Police say he opened fire on Leavenworth bridge
The Leavenworth county attorney has filed charges against a Platte County resident who opened fire last week on drivers traveling across the bridge that connects Leavenworth and Platte County.
Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said a total of nine charges were filed against Jason R. Westrem, 37, of Houston Lake, who authorities say opened fire on the Centennial Bridge above the Missouri River last Wednesday.
The suspect allegedly fired eight to 10 shots before he was stopped by Master Sergeant David Royer, who resides in Platte County, just outside Platte City.
Royer, who is stationed at nearby Fort Leavenworth, used his truck to pin the shooter under his vehicle (see related story).
Westrem, who was hospitalized with serious injuries following the incident, was charged with one count of attempted first degree murder in the incident in which he fired a semi-automatic rifle. A bullet struck and injured Ehran Schooler, who also was hospitalized following the shooting.
Thompson said he has no further information on the condition of either Schooler or Westrem as of late Monday.
However, Westrem was either still hospitalized or in another area jail, as Westrem was not being held in the Leavenworth County Jail, Thompson said Monday during a telephone interview.
Westrem also was charged with aggravated assault and firing into an occupied dwelling against two others, Joseph Mize and Almichael Whitley, who were not injured, Thompson said. Westrem also has been charged with child endangerment in the case, where three unidentified children, born between 2007 and 2012, were not injured, Thompson said.
The investigation is ongoing as the Leavenworth Police Department “continues to tie up loose ends,” Thompson said.