Roll of Honor
Incident
Juvenile Officer Charles West was shot and killed by a juvenile inmate he was supervising. The juvenile had been arrested for shooting four other juveniles, auto theft, and possession of stolen property. During the initial shooting incident, the boy was attacked by the crowd and suffered an injury to his jaw that required follow-up medical treatment. Officer West transported the boy to Children's Mercy Hospital for treatment. As he was returning the boy to the detention center, they stopped at the boy's home. When the boy went inside, he retrieved a handgun that he used to shoot Officer West in the back of the head with. He then placed Officer West's body in the trunk of his car and drove away. The boy's family witnessed the incident and called authorities, who located the abandoned car a short time later. Officer West had served with the Jackson County Family Court for eight years.
Survivors
He was survived by his father, mother, seven brothers, and four sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-F91C4F81- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Juvenile Officer West gave the Jackson County Family Court 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Kansas City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Juvenile Officer West.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Juvenile Officer Charles F. West is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MO, 516 of 813 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.5% of this state's fallen. That is 9.3 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles F. West's cause is highlighted.
How Charles F. West Compares
Offender Outcome
escape attempt
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Charles F. West is highlighted in Jan.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Charles F. West was killed by handgun.