Police chief honors Fairway officer fatally shot 1 year ago. ‘We miss Jonah every day.’
The Fairway Police Department took time to honor and remember a fallen officer Wednesday, one year after he was fatally shot while on duty.
Chief of Police J.P. Thurlo released a statement Wednesday afternoon in remembrance of Jonah Oswald, a 29-year-old husband and father of two young children, on the anniversary of his death.
“We miss Jonah every day,” Thurlo said.
Thurlo shared memories of Oswald cracking jokes at the police station and waving to citizens as he patrolled Fairway.
“While Jonah is no longer here in person, his spirit continues to live on with the men and women of our police department,” Thurlo said. “Jonah believed in service and selflessness, and we will carry that legacy forever in Jonah’s honor.”
The shooting
Oswald was among the officers responding to a situation that began with a stolen vehicle report and ended in gunfire on Aug. 7, 2023. Lenexa police chased a stolen SUV, whose driver allegedly rammed into a patrol vehicle. Police said the suspects bailed out of the vehicle and ran into a QuikTrip at 4700 Lamar Ave.
Oswald was critically wounded during an exchange of gunfire and later died in the hospital. Also killed at the scene was one suspect in the auto theft, identified by police as 40-year-old Shannon Wayne Marshall, of Ashland City, Tennessee.
In December 2023, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe determined police acted lawfully in killing Marshall. Oswald was shot in the head while trying to force open a bathroom stall Marshall occupied, according to an analysis and summary report released by the district attorney’s office.
The other suspect, 32-year-old Andrea Cothran of Goodlettsville, Tennessee, is charged with seven felonies and a misdemeanor including: first-degree murder, recklessly fleeing law enforcement, aggravated battery against a law enforcement officer, firearm possession by a felon and three counts of theft.
Cothran is due to appear in Division 15 of Johnson County District Court at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 5 for a pre-trial conference. Jury selection is set to begin Dec. 16.
‘Forever grateful’
In his statement Wednesday afternooon, Thurlo said he wanted to remember those closest to Oswald, including his wife, two young children and his parents.
“Their grief remains immeasurable, but we will always be here for them and consider them part of our family,” he said.
Thurlo said he wanted to thank the community for supporting the police department and Oswald’s family throughout the past year.
“Words alone cannot express how much that support has meant to us and helped us grieve and process the darkest of days in Jonah’s absense,” Thurlo said. “We are forever grateful.”
The Star’s Matti Gellman and Anna Spoerre contributed.
