Iraq veteran with rifle killed by police in Kansas

Veteran with rifle fatally shot by Raytown police
BY DONALD BRADLEY
The Kansas City Star

The man shot to death by Raytown police Thursday while threatening officers with a rifle was a veteran of the Iraq war who had recently learned he was being sent to Afghanistan.

In describing events that led up to the shooting of 26-year-old Robert G. Long, Raytown police Capt. Ted Bowman on Friday said he did not want to suggest that Long’s military service was responsible for what happened. In talking with officers during the ordeal, Long, a reserve medic, said he was proud of serving his country.

Long and a roommate began drinking about 7 a.m. Thursday, first at a residence then moving to a bar. In early afternoon, employees at the bar removed the two men after they became confrontational. When Long and the roommate attempted to re-enter the bar about 2 p.m., the police were, Bowman said.

An officer then drove Long to a residence in the 900 block of East 79th Street. Shortly after that, neighbors called police when they saw Long staggering in the yard with a handgun. He reportedly fired a round into the house.
read more here