KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The man accused of fatally shooting a 32-year-old North Kansas City police officer during a traffic stop made his first appearance in court Thursday.
Joshua T. Rocha, 24, appeared in Clay County Circuit Court, where a judge read the charges and entered a not guilty plea on Rocha’s behalf.
Prosecutors charged Rocha with first-degree murder and armed criminal action for allegedly shooting and killing North Kansas City police Officer Daniel Vasquez during a traffic stop Tuesday. Rocha is being held on $2 million bail at the Clay County jail.
The courtroom was standing-room only Thursday with police officers from North Kansas City, Kansas City, Gladstone and Liberty, as well as people who knew Vasquez.
Rocha did not have an attorney at the hearing and Judge Louis Angles told him to apply for a public defender.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Rocha could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
Clay County Prosecutor Dan White said during a news conference Wednesday that he would wait for the investigation to be complete before deciding whether or not to seek the death penalty. Once he’s had time to review the investigation, he said he’ll reach out to Vasquez’s family, members of the North Kansas City Police Department and his staff before deciding how to move forward.
Vasquez was shot around 10:40 a.m. Tuesday. He pulled over a gray Ford Taurus with an expired Missouri temporary tag near 21st Avenue and Clay Street.
Rocha told authorities that he pulled a rifle from the passenger seat into his lap as Vasquez approached, according to a probable cause statement. Officials allege that Rocha shot Vasquez once in the face from inside his sedan before he stepped out of the car and shot him two more times while Vasquez was lying on the ground.
Vasquez died of his injuries at North Kansas City Hospital before he could be moved to another hospital.
Rocha turned himself into authorities at the Clay County Annex. He told authorities he fled the scene and tried to alter his appearance by changing his clothing, shaving and spray painting part of his car, according to the probable cause statement.
Authorities said Rocha admitted to intentionally shooting the officer because he “didn’t want to go to jail or have his vehicle towed.”
Community members from North Kansas City and across the metro area gathered Wednesday to add flowers to memorials outside the NKCPD headquarters and at the scene of the shooting. Friends and former co-workers remembered Vasquez as a “gentle bulldog” who dreamed of becoming a police officer.
Vasquez joined the department in January 2021 as a recruit officer. He was promoted to full officer after graduating from the Regional Police Academy in July 2021.
Kansas City FOP Lodge 99 created a fundraiser for Vasquez’s funeral arrangements and other family assistance. Donations to the memorial fund can also be made at Kansas City area Price Chopper stores.
———
