DENNIS SHARKEY, 50, WAS VICTIM OF POSSIBLE ROAD RAGE
Platte County investigators have confirmed to The Landmark they are speaking with a person of interest in the January shooting death of Dennis Sharkey, a local sports reporter.
Sharkey, 50, was killed just before 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10 on Interstate 29 near the 72nd Street exit in Platte County.
In response to a question from The Landmark, Platte County Sheriff Erik Holland late Monday afternoon said: “We are speaking with a person of interest as of today.”
Earlier on Monday, sources had told The Landmark that a search warrant being served in Jackson County may be related to the Sharkey case.
In a phone conversation with The Landmark later Monday, Holland told The Landmark investigators are following up on leads, including leads that involve other counties, “including Jackson County.”
Holland did say the person of interest “is not a Platte County resident.”
In the days after the shooting death of Sharkey, the sheriff said the killing had “all the hallmarks” of being a road rage incident.
Sharkey was a local sports reporter for the Platte County Citizen. He had worked as a news reporter for the Platte County Landmark for several months in 2009-2010.
In the days after the shooting, Holland said detectives had been checking with nearby businesses for video surveillance footage that may be helpful.
The sheriff said investigators believe both Sharkey’s vehicle and the suspect’s vehicle came to a stop in the right hand lane of I-29 north of 72nd Street. The sheriff says the suspect got out of his vehicle, and Sharkey then attempted to go around the suspect’s vehicle on the left. That’s when a single shot was fired into Sharkey’s vehicle, the sheriff said.
Holland dijo que después de que se disparó al norte de la salida de la calle 72, el auto de Sharkey recorrió una corta distancia antes de salir del lado derecho de la carretera, justo al sur de la salida de la calle 72. El vehículo de Sharkey, que era un Chevy Spark blanco, se desplazó por un terraplén y se detuvo cerca de la valla de protección a lo largo de NW Prairie View Road, aproximadamente en la calle 70.
Según se informa, las imágenes de la cámara de un negocio cercano muestran dos vehículos y tres personas que se detienen para intentar ayudar a Sharkey de alguna manera.
When KCPD officers arrived Sharkey was unresponsive inside the vehicle. Officers rendered aid until EMS arrived and took over. EMS transported Sharkey to the hospital, where he was declared deceased.
En un principio, el Departamento de Policía de Kansas City (KCPD) estaba trabajando en el caso porque se creía que el tiroteo había ocurrido dentro de los límites de la ciudad de Kansas City. Más tarde se determinó que el tiroteo en realidad había ocurrido en una sección de la I-29 que se encuentra dentro de los límites de la ciudad de Platte Woods, y el Departamento del Sheriff del Condado de Platte asumió el papel de agencia investigadora principal.
Dennis Tiburón
Sharkey, age 50, of Liberty, had worked in journalism for many years. In addition to working for the Citizen and The Landmark, some of his other stints with newspapers included time with the Oskaloosa Independent in Oskaloosa, Kan., the Mound City (Mo.) News, and the Mexico (Mo.) Ledger.
Originario de Kansas City, Sharkey tenía un título en periodismo de la Northwest Missouri State University.
